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REV.  jASON  LEE. 


THE  CONQUERORS 


c>^ 


l^tBtortral  ^kttciitB 

OF    THE 

American  Settlement  of  the 
Oregon  Country 

Embraring  Jacta  In  ttjp  ICifp  mb  Wavk  at 
REV.  JASON  LEE 

The  Pioneer  and  Founder  of  American  Institutions  on 
the  Western  Coast  of  North  America. 

By 
REV.  A.  ATWOOD 


Published  ^ith  the  Indorsement  of  the  Officers  of 

"The  IVashington  State  Historical  Society," 

Tacoma,  Washington 


On  Sale  at 
Boston  Cincinnati  Tacoma  Portland 

New  York  Chicago  Seattle  San  Francisco 

GLENDALE,  CALIFORNIA,  U.  S.  A. 
THE    ARTHUR    H.    CLARK     COMPANY 


Copyright 

By  A.  Atwood 

1907 


\ 

'^  DEDICATION 

In  honor  of  the  name  and  the  deeds  of  Jason  Lee 
and  the  Pioneer  Missionaries  who  laid  the 
foundations  of  American  institutions 
in   Oregon.      To  them  and  to 
\^  their  descendants  is  this 

^  volume  respectfully 

J  Dedicated. 

\ 

05 


REV.  A.  ATVVOOD. 


PREFACE 


Associated  with  the  early  settlement  of  Oregon  there 
is  a  blending  of  romance,  of  patriotism,  of  sacrifice,  of 
noble  deeds,  of  devotion  to  God  and  the  welfare  of 
humanity,  that  has  not  been  excelled  in  the  history  of 
the  world.  The  story  of  the  traders  and  the  trappers  in 
the  early  part  of  1800,  The  account  of  the  several 
expeditions  sent  out  by  the  United  States  Government. 
The  Indians,  enveloped  in  the  darkness  of  a  pagan 
night,  turning  their  thoughts  Godward,  and  asking  for 
light.  The  coming  of  the  missionaries;  the  conflicts 
through  which  they  passed ;  the  trials  they  endured ;  the 
difficulties  they  encountered;  the  work  they  accom- 
plished ;  the  victories  they  won,  form  a  record  that  is 
worthy  of  being  written  in  letters  of  gold.  It  challenges 
the  admiration  of  the  world.  The  story  embraces  an 
account  of  facts  and  scenes  that  are  unique,  weird,  truth- 
ful, pathetic,  and  sublime. 

No  writer  can  give  in  words  of  proper  phrase  a 
complete  description  of  the  great  events  that  form  this 
history.  The  spirit  of  love  and  Christian  heroism  that 
prompted  the  noble  acts  of  the  missionaries  is  ideal  and 
Christlike ;  it  is  indescribable,  and  can  not  be  trans- 
ferred to  canvas,  nor  can  it  be  uttered  in  speech  or 
expressed  with  pen. 

No  part  of  the  country  over  which  floats  the  flag  of 
the  United  States  has  such  a  unique  and  thoroughly 
American  origin  and  history  as  has  Oregon.  It  is  the 
only  part  of  the  great  American  Republic  that  was  ob- 

5 


6  Preface 

tained  by  discovery,  followed  by  occupancy,  actual  settle- 
ment, and  the  formation  of  a  local  government  under 
the  sheltering  folds  of  the  American  flag  hoisted  by  the 
colonists  themselves. 

The  story  of  the  American  conquest  of  Oregon  is 
told  in  these  pages.  The  aim  of  the  writer  has  been 
to  tell  it  as  correctly  as  the  information  at  his  command 
would  permit.  He  acknowledges  his  indebtedness  to 
Hon.  C.  B.  Bagley,  a  former  journalist  of  this  coast; 
also  to  Drs.  A.  B.  Leonard  and  S.  O.  Benton,  officers 
of  the  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  through  whose  kindly  offices  he  secured  from 
the  records  of  that  society  many  facts  touching  the  work 
of  the  Oregon  Mission  from  1833  to  1844. 

To  Dr.  H.  K.  Hines,  "Missionary  History  of  the 
Pacific  Northwest ;"  to  Prof.  F.  H.  Grubbs,  son-in-law  of 
Rev.  Jason  Lee,  and  to  Rev.  A.  J.  Joslyn,  of  the  Puget 
Sound  Conference. 

To  Mr.  Francis  Richmond,  the  first  American  born 
in  Oregon,  north  of  the  Columbia  River,  and  to  Dr. 
Oregon  Richmond. 

To  Mr.  D.  T.  Merkley,  of  the  Methodist  Book  Con- 
cern of  New  York,  for  valuable  excerpts  from  the  Chris- 
tian Advocate  and  Journal;  to  Mrs.  Clara  D.  Worth,  of 
lioston,  for  important  excerpts  from  Zion's  Herald,  and 
to  Rev.  C.  M.  Tate,  secretary  of  the  British  Columbia 
Conference  of  the  Methodist  Church  of  Canada. 

To  Hon.  R.  L.  IMcCormick,  president,  and  Prof,  W. 
H.  Gilstrap,  secretary,  of  the  Washington  State  His- 
torical Society. 

To  Mr.  John  A.  Cousley,  editor  of  the  Alton  Tele- 
i^raph,  published  at  Alton,  111.,  and  Miss  Harriet  Dolbee, 
of  that  city,  for  information  from  the  files  of  The  Tele- 
graph. 

Also  to  Miss  Georgie  Osborne,  assistant  librarian  of 


Preface  7 

the  Illinois  State  Historical  Library  at  vSpringfield,  111., 
for  access  to  the  files  of  the  Illinois  State  Journal  and 
the  Illinois  State  Register. 

From  these  and  other  sources  much  valuable  informa- 
tion has  been  obtained,  some  of  which  is  given  to  the 
public  for  the  first  time  in  these  pages.  The  writer 
has  thus  been  enabled  to  give  what  he  believes  to  be  a 
fuller  and  a  more  accurate  summary  of  many  facts  em- 
braced in  the  early  history  of  Oregon  than  has  hitherto 
been  published. 

With  these  facts  about  the  early  settlement  of  the 
Pacific  Northwest,  there  is  also  given  much  important 
information  about  the  present  condition  of  the  Oregon 
country. 

The  different  divisions  thereof,  their  industries 
and  resources,  and  other  matters  of  public  interest, 
to  which  is  added  a  brief  description  of  Alaska,  em- 
bracing facts  about  its  purchase,  area,  climate,  products, 
and  other  important  items  about  that  great  Northland. 

The  writer  desires  to  call  special  attention  to  the 
facts  given  in  these  pages  that  connect  the  missions 
and  the  missionaries  with  the  great  national  matters 
involved  in  the  settlement  of  the  Oregon  question.  To 
omit  these  would  be  like  describing  a  piece  of  cloth  and 
leaving  out  all  reference  to  the  warp  and  the  woof  that 
form  the  fabric;  or,  like  telling  a  story  and  eliminating 
all  the  essential  features  that  enter  into  it ;  or,  like 
Hamlet,  with  Hamlet  left  out.  The  missions  and  the 
work  of  the  missionaries  is  the  warp  and  the  woof  of 
the  effort  to  Americanize  Oregon.  And  the  American 
conquest  of  Oregon  can  not  be  truthfully  told  if  the 
actors  in  this  great  drama  are  left  out,  and  the  important 
events  that  made  the  conquest  possible  are  not  included 
in  this   unique  and   wonderful   story. 

For  it  should  be  observed  that,  up  to  the  time  of 


8  Preface 

the  establishment  of  the  Provisional  Government,  in  Jul}^ 
1843,  the  missionaries  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  those  who  had  come  to  the  coast  through  their  in- 
strumentality, comprised  nearly  all  the  American  citi- 
zens in  the  country.  Their  settlement  was  not  only  the 
center  of  American  life  and  influence  in  Oregon,  but 
it  was  the  only  place  on  the  Pacific  coast  where  it  was 
possible  to  outrank  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  in  the 
control  of  Oregon  affairs  and  in  the  establishment  of  a 
government  under  American  auspices. 

About  no  settlement  in  the  United  States  has  there 
been  so  many  absurd  statements  made  and  erroneous 
opinions  formed  as  to  the  causes  and  the  factors  that 
contributed  to  its  formation,  its  upbuilding,  and  the 
triumph  of  American  sentiment  in  connection  with  it,  as 
have  been  made  about  the  American  settlement  of  the 
Oregon  country. 

The  evidence  of  the  untenability  and  falsity  of  many 
of  the  claims  and  statements  referred  to  is  incontro- 
vertible. 

The  object  of  the  writer  is  to  bring  to  public  at- 
tention the  facts  in  the  case  and  thus  conserve  the  truth. 

This  compilation  of  historical  data  is  not  the  re- 
sult of  hasty  impulse,  nor  is  it  prompted  by  sectarian 
motive  or  purpose.  The  writer  desires  to  do  an  act  of 
justice  to  the  name,  the  deeds,  and  the  memory  of  the 
great  and  good  man  who  established  this  American  com- 
munity in  Oregon  and  made  provision  for  its  support, 
and  its  growth,  and  thus  laid  the  foundations  of  empire 
on  the  Pacific  coast. 

The  question,  Who  planned  and  executed  the  work 
that  made  Oregon  an  American  commonwealth,  and  thus 
"saved  Oregon?"  is  answered  in  the  great  mass  of  his- 
torical facts  given  in  this  book. 

Thu  Author. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER   I 

BEGINNING  OF  MISSIONARY  WORK  IN  OREGON 

Events  that  led  up  to  the  American  occupancy  of  Oregon 
— The  going  out  of  the  Indians — Letter  of  William 
Walker — Communication  of  S.  P.  Disosway — Procla- 
mation of  Dr.  Fisk — Appointment  of  Jason  Lee — Im- 
portant communications — Action  of  Missionary  Board 
— First  tour  of  the  United  States  by  Jason  Lee — 
Account  of  Missionary  meetings  held  throughout  the 
country, 17-35 

CHAPTER  II 

ON  THE  OREGON  TRAIL 

Journey  across  the  Continent — First  religious  services 
held  on  the  Coast  under  American  auspices — Selec- 
tion of  locations  for  mission  stations — The  establish- 
ment of  the  Missions  of  the  M.  E.  Church  in  Oregon 
— A  great  work  involving  a  large  expenditure  of 
money — Important  facts,  touching  the  Oregon  ques- 
tion^;  gleaned  from  letters,  communications,  records, 
and  valuable  excerpts  from  Newspapers — Formation 
of  a  Cattle  Company  in  Oregon — Hon.  William  A. 
Slacum — Facts  that  indicate  the  great  influence  of 
Jason  Lee  in  laying  the  foundations  of  empire  in 
Oregon— Sunday,  July  16,  1S37,  a  great  day — Marriage 
of  Jason  Lee — Baptism — Organization  of  M.  E.  Church 
in  Oregon, -        -      36-57 

9 


10  Contents 

CHAPTER  III 

GOING  EAST,  AND  WHAT  CAME  OF  IT 

IMr.  Lee's  journey  East — Death  of  Mrs.  Lee — An  important 
memorial — Mr.  Lee's  correspondence  with  Hon.  Caleb 
Cashing — Arrival  of  Rev.  Jason  Lee  in  New  York — 
Work  outlined  by  the  Missionary'  Board  that  culmi- 
nated in  the  establishment  of  American  institutions  in 
Oregon — Proclamation  of  Dr.  Bangs — Second  Mis- 
sionary tour  of  the  United  States  by  Jason  Lee — 
Account  of  numerous  and  enthusiastic  meetings  held 
throughout  the  country — Large  audiences  and  liberal 
oflferings — Valuable  excerpts  from  records  and  news- 
papers of  that  period — William  Brooks         .        .        -       58-82 

CHAPTER  IV 

JASON  LEE  OPENS  THE  GATES  FOR  OREGON'S 
DELIVERANCE 

A  third  memorial  to  Congress — Mr.  Lee's  second  marriage 
— The  Great  Reinforcement — Statements  of  Bishop 
Blanchet,  and  of  Mr.  Bancroft,  the  Historian — Letters 
of  Mrs.  Judge  Terry  and  Mrs.  S.  R.  Beggs — The 
Lausanne — Letters  from  Jason  Lee,  giving  an  account 
of  the  voyage  halfway  around  the  world— Letter  from 
Rev.  A.  F.  Waller — Important  notice — Arrival  of 
the  Missionaries  in  Oregon — Meeting  at  Fort  Van- 
couver— Assignments  to  their  fields  of  labor — A 
perilous  journey — An  eloquent  prayer — A  great  re- 
vival— Rev.  Daniel  Lee — His  marriage  to  Miss  Maria 
T.  Ware — Important  notice — Letters  of  Jason  Lee  and 
others, 83-105 

CHAPTER  V 

NISQUALLY— JASON    LEE'S    MISSION    SETTLEMENT    ON 
PUGET  SOUND 

Dr.  Richmond  appointed  to  this  station — Building  of  Mis- 
sion House,  etc. — Communication  from  Dr.  Richmond 
— Exploring  expedition  under  Capt.  Charles  Wilkes — 
American  Mission  Settlement  at  Nisqually — First  4th 
of  July  celebration   held  on   the  Western   Coast  of 


Contents  11 

North  America,  July  5,  1841 — Commemorative  cele- 
bration held  on  the  same  grounds,  July  5,  1906 — 
Nisqually  Historically — First  religious  service  in  the 
Oregon  country — First  Protestant  Church  erected 
North  of  the  Columbia  River — Dr.  Tolmie — Rev.  J. 
F.  Devore  and  the  turkeys,    -         -  ...  106-127 

CHAPTER  VI 

THE  OREGON  EMIGRATION  MOVEMENT 

Jason  Lee's  work  in  Illinois — Statements  of  Mr.  Bancroft, 
the  Historian— of  Hon.  H.  W.  Scott— Rev.  A.  D.  Field, 
D.  D. — Mr.  Francis  Richmond — Dr.  Oregon  Rich- 
mond—Rev. William  McEl fresh— Rev.  T.  F.  Royal 
and  Colonel  Clark  E.  Carr — Excerpts  from  the  News- 
paper Press  of  that  period — A  matter-of-fact  state- 
ment by  Abraham  Lincoln,  ------  128-146 

CHAPTER  VII 

FORMATION  OF  A  PROVISIONAIv  GOVERNMENT 

Important  vote — Timely  act  of  Joseph  Meek — Election  of 
officers — Fourth  of  July  celebration — Five  great  acts 
in  Oregon  drama — Dr.  McLoughlin — Great  changes — 
First  flour  mill — F'^irst  church — First  school  house — 
F'irst  frame  dwelling  of  American  construction  in 
Oregon — First  Camp-meeting — First  city  founded 
and  continuously  occupied  by  Americans  on  the 
Western  coast  of  North  America — Coming  of  Chris- 
tian women  to  Oregon — Statement  of  Daniel  Webster 
— Differences  of  opinion 147-176 

CHAPTER  VIII 

TRIBUTE  TO  JASON  LEE 

Good  leadership  necessary  to  success — Excerpts  from  his 
report  to  the  Missionary  Board — with  explanations  in 
regard  to  them — Great  injustice  done  by  this  action 
— Bringing  the  remains  of  Jason  Lee  to  Oregon— Out- 
line of  services — Criticisms  answered — ^Jason  Lee  was 
not  a  Canadian — Basis  of  the  American  and  of  the 
British  claim  to  the  ownership  of  the  Oregon  country,  177-221 


12  Contents 

CHAPTER  IX 

MISSIONS  OF  THE  AMERICAN  BOARD  IN  OREGON 

Established  in  1836  by  Drs.  Whitman  and  Spalding— The 
Ashburton  treaty — Diplomatic  correspondence— Con- 
ditions that  prevailed  in  the  Missions  of  the  American 
Board,     -------...  222-234 

CHAPTER  X 

MISSIONS    OF    THE    METHODIST    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH, 

AND    THE    MISSIONS    OF    THE    AMERICAN 

BOARD  IN  OREGON  COMPARED 

Emigration  of  1842— Appointment  of  Dr.  White  sub- 
Indian  agent  for  Oregon— Letter  of  Rev.  W.  H.  Lee 
— Erroneous  statements  answered  and  false  claims 
refuted — Facts  about  Jason  Lee's  Mission  and  coloni- 
zation work  were  published  very  extensively,     -        -  235-268 

CHAPTER  XI 

OREGON,  THE  OLD  AND  THE  NEW 

Oregon— Washington— Idaho— Montana— British  Colum- 
bia— Their  scenic  conditions — Resources — Geograph- 
ical and  Commercial  importance,  etc.,  -        -        -        -  269-290 

CHAPTER  XII 

ALASKA 

Facts  about  the  discovery  —  purchase  —  extent  —  Great 
wealth — Variety  and  vastness  of  Resources — Climatic 
conditions  and  rapid  development  of  this  great 
Northland,  etc., 291-309 

APPENDIX 
Important  letters  and  communications,       -         -         .         .  310-316 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Rev.  Jason  Lee, Frontispiece      Facing 

Page 

Rev.  a.  Atwood, 4 

Mr.  Geo.  Catlin,  Flathead  Indian,  Hee-oh-ks-te-kin, 

h'co-a-h-co-ah-coates-min, 20 

Generals  Lewis  and  Clark,  Rev.  Wilbur  Fisk,  D.  d., 

Rev.  Nathan  Bangs,  D.  D., 26 

Excerpt  from  the  Diary  of  Jason  Lee.    Written  in 

1834, 38 

Forts  Vancouver  and  Walla  Walla,        -       -       -       -     40 

Willamette  Falls,  Willamette  Plains,      -       -       .  42 

Mission  House — Willamette,  Wascopam,  -       -       -       -      44 

Mrs.  Anna  M.  Lee,  Prof.  F.  H.  Grubbs,  Mrs.  F.  H. 
Grubbs,  Rev.  Daniel  Lee,  Mrs.  Daniel  Lee,  Rev. 
W.  H.  Lee, 86 

Rev.  David  Leslie,  Rev.  A.  F.  Waller,  Mrs.  S.  R.  Beggs, 

Hon.  George  Abernethy, 88 

Dr.  John  P.  Richmond,  Mrs.  America  Richmond,  Dr. 

Oregon  Richmond,  Mr.  Francis  Richmond,  -        -         no 

Capt.  Charles  Wilkes,  Slugamus  Koquilton,  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Mission  House,  Nisqually,      -       -    120 

Hon.  R.  L.  McCormick,  Prof.  W.  H.  Gilstrap,  Com- 
memorative Monument, 122 

Grounds  Where  Celebration  was  Held,         -       -       -    124 

13 


14  Illustrations 

Facing  Page 

Fort  Nisquai,i<y  in  1843,  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

Near  Nisqually, 126 

Crossing  North  Pi^atte,  South  Pass,        -       -       -       -  138 

Dr.  John  McLoughlin,   Dr.  W.  F.  Toi,mie,  Sir  James 

DouGivASS,  Mr.  Edward  Huggins,     -        -       -        -  162 

Church,  Oregon  City  ;  Lee  Mission  Cemetery,      -       -  i56 

Oregon  Institute,  Jason  Lee's  Residence,  -       -       -  168 

Rev.  Gustavus  Hines,  Rev.  H.  K.  Hines,  D.  D.,  Rev,  A.  J. 

JoSLYN,  Hon.  C.  B.  Bagi,ey, 220 

Map  of  the  Originai^  Oregon  Country,       -       -       -  270 

Hon.  W.  H,  Seward, 292 

Unci,e  Sam's  Most  Northern  Schooi,-House,      -       -  304 

Bishop  J.  W.  Hamii,ton  and  Others, 306 


THE  CONQUERORS 


CHAPTER  I 

Beginning  of  Missionary  Work  in  Oregon,  and 
the  Causes  that  Led  Up  to  It 

The;  events  that  preceded  and  led  up  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  American  mission  settlements  in  Oregon 
were  as  follows:  The  Indians  who  inhabited  the  east- 
ern part  of  the  Oregon  country  had  learned  from  the 
trappers,  the  traders,  and  the  explorers  who  had  passed 
through  their  settlements,  that  beyond  the  confines  of 
their  own  land  and  east  of  the  great  mountains  that 
marked  the  outline  of  their  plains,  their  forests,  and 
their  inland  seas,  there  lived  a  people  whose  knowledge 
of  God  made  them  great  and  good ;  that  this  people 
who  lived  in  the  land  far  away  had  in  their  possession 
the  Book  of  Heaven,  and  that  it  contained  information 
of  very  great  importance  about  God,  about  themselves, 
about  sin  and  its  destructive  consequences,  and  about 
heaven,  and  that  if  they  would  know  the  truth  about 
these  things  they  must  secure  this  Book  and  learn  and 
practice  its  teachings. 

From  these  Indian  people  sitting  in  the  shadows  of 
a  pagan  night,  to  whom  had  come  a  gleam  of  light  and 
hope,  there  came  a  cry  for  help. 

The  sound  was  weird  and  majestic,  like  the  echo  of 
a  distant  waterfall.  It  was  earnest,  practical,  pathetic, 
and  had  in  it  a  sacredness  and  an  eloquence  that  was 
Christlike  and  sublime. 

They  wanted  to  know  about  God,  the  Great  Spirit ; 
2  17 


18  The  Conquerors 

their  duty  to  Him;  how  to  approach  Him  and  secure 
His  favor  and  enjoy  His  blessing.  They  had  seen  His 
signature  written  in  letters  of  golden  light  upon  the 
archways  of  the  sky.  They  saw  His  glory  shining  out 
from  the  stars  that  are  set  as  jewels  in  the  crown  of 
the  night.  They  had  heard  His  voice  in  the  wind, 
and  listened  to  the  echo  of  His  footfall  in  the  earth- 
quake. They  recognized  His  power  in  the  thunder. 
They  saw  His  goodness  reflected  in  the  sunbeams, 
mirrored  in  the  seas,  and  photographed  upon  the  brow 
of  Nature  everywhere.  They  wanted  to  know  about 
the  Bible,  God's  Book,  the  Book  of  Heaven,  and  about 
the  great  after-life  beyond.  They  wanted  teachers  to 
come  among  them  and  turn  the  feet  of  their  people  into 
the  pathways  that  would  lead  them  Godward. 

In  1832,  up  among  the  plains  and  hills  whence  come 
the  waters  of  the  Columbia  (known  also  as  the  Oregon) 
and  its  tributaries,  the  chiefs  and  representatives  of  the 
Indian  tribes  who  inhabited  that  region  met  in  council. 

Their  coming  together  was  grand  in  its  conception 
and  purpose.  From  the  beautiful  hills  and  valleys,  the 
sunny  skies,  the  running  brooks  and  charming  water- 
falls of  their  own  home  land,  they  turned  their  thoughts 
to  God  in  reverent  and  sublime  contemplation.  They 
decided  to  send  four  of  their  number  as  messengers  to 
the  white  settlements  beyond  the  mountains  to  secure 
information  and  help. 

St.  Louis  at  that  time  was  but  a  little  hamlet  on 
the  frontier,  a  resort  for  traders  and  trappers.  To  this 
place  the  messengers  came.  They  had  heard  of  a  strange 
star  in  the  East,  and  like  the  Magi  of  the  olden  time, 
had  come  to  inquire  where  they  might  find  Him  of  whom 
Moses  in  the  law  and  the  prophets  did  write.  They 
appealed  to  General  William  Clark,  who  had,  a  quarter 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       19 

of  a  century  before,  with  General  Meriweather  Lewis, 
passed  tlirough  the  country  where  these  messengers 
Hved. 

A  book  entitled,  "The  North  American  Indians,"  was 
published  in  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  in  1903,  by  John  Grant, 
consisting  of  letters  and  notes  of  the  travels  and  ex- 
periences of  Mr.  George  Catlin  among  the  Indians  of 
North  America  from  1832  to  1839, 

Mr.  Catlin  was  a  skillful  artist  and  painted  the  faces 
of  many  of  the  prominent  tribesmen  with  whom  he  met 
in   his   long  and   extensive   travels   among  the   Indians. 

We  quote  from  the  one  hundred  and  twenty-fourth 
page  of  the  second  volume  of  this  interesting  publication : 

FLATHEADS. 
These  are  a  very  numerous  people  inhabiting  the  shores  of 
the  Columbia  River  and  a  vast  tract  of  country  lying  to  the 
south  of  it.  The  name  "Flathead"  was  applied  to  many  tribes 
of  Indians  who  inhabited  the  Pacific  coast,  and  was  given  be- 
cause of  a  custom  that  prevailed  among  them  of  flattening  the 
heads  of  their  children  by  strapping  them  to  a  board  and  holding 
them  as  if  in  a  vise;  this  process  was  continued  until  the  heads 
presented  the  deformed  appearance  seen  in  the  picture. 

The  Nez  Perces  inhabited  the  upper  waters  and 
mountainous  parts  of  the  Columbia.^ 

1  The  names  of  the  two  Indian  messengers  are  given  in  the  exact  form  that 
they  appear  in  Mr.  Catlin's  book.  Hee-oh-ks-te-kin  (the  rabbit  skin  leggins)  and 
H'co-a-h-co-ah-cotcs-min  (no  horns  on  his  head)  are  young  men  of  this  tribe.  These 
two  young  men,  when  I  painted  them,  were  in  beautiful  Sioux  dresses,  which  had 
been  presented  to  them  by  the  Siou.\,  who  had  treated  them  very  kindly  while 
passing  through  the  Sioux  country.  These  two  men  were  a  part  of  a  delegation 
that  came  across  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  St.  Louis,  a  few  years  since,  to  inquire 
for  the  truth  of  a  representation,  which  they  said  some  white  man  had  made 
amongst  them,  "  that  our  religion  was  better  than  theirs,  and  that  they  would  be 
lost  if  they  did  not  embrace  it."  Two  old  and  venerable  men  of  this  party  died  in 
St.  Louis,  and  I  traveled  two  thousand  miles,  companion  of  these  two  young  fel- 
lows, towards  their  own  country,  and  became  much  pleased  with  their  manner  and 
dispositions. 

The  last  mentioned  of  the  two  died  near  the  mouth  of  the  Yellow  Stone  River 
on  his  way  home,  and  the  other  one,  I  have  since  learned,  arrived  safely  amongst 


20  The  Conquerors 

An  exploring  expedition,  under  the  leadership  of  Gen- 
eral Meriweather  Lewis  and  General  William  Clark,  was 
sent  overland  to  the  Pacific  coast  by  the  United  States 
Government  in  1 805.  They  reached  the  mouth  of  the 
Columbia  River,  November  14th  of  that  year.  They  es- 
tablished winter  quarters  at  Clatsop,  where  they  remained 
until  March  23,  1806,  when  they  started  homeward  over 
the  same  route  by  which  they  came. 

It  is  possible  that  the  journey  of  many  moons  made 
by  the  Indians  in  their  effort  to  find  the  Book  of  Heaven 
was  brought  about  in  some  measure  by  the  expedition 
of  Lewis  and  Clark.  General  Clark  was  a  Catholic,  a 
religious  man,  and  observed  the  ceremonial  rites  of  his 
Church.  His  company,  in  going  West  and  on  their  re- 
turn East,  camped  in  the  country  inhabited  by  the  In- 
dian tribes  who  in  the  after  years  sent  their  representa- 
tives to  St.  Louis. 

They  were  cognizant  of  the  acts  of  worship  and 
religious  ceremonies  observed  by  this  band  of  explorers. 
They  may  have  participated  to  some  extent  in  them. 
There  is  no  doubt  but  that  a  deep  and  lasting  impres- 


his  friends,  conveying  to  them  the  melancholy  intelligence  of  the  deaths  of  all  the 
rest  of  the  party  ;  but  assurances  at  the  same  time  were  given  them  from  General 
Clark  and  many  reverend  gentlemen  that  the  report  that  they  had  heard  was  well 
founded,  and  that  missionaries,  good  and  religious  men,  would  soon  come  amongst 
them  to  teach  this  religion,  so  that  they  could  all  understand  it  and  have  the  bene- 
fits of  it. 

When  I  first  heard  the  report  of  the  object  of  this  extraordinary  mission  across 
the  mountains  I  could  scarcely  believe  it,  but  on  conversing  with  General  Clark, 
on  a  future  occasion,  I  was  fully  convinced  of  the  facts,  and  I,  like  thousands  of 
others,  have  had  the  satisfaction  of  witnessing  the  complete  success  that  has 
crowned  the  bold  and  daring  exertions  of  Mr.  Lee  and  Mr.  Spalding,  two  reverend 
gentlemen  who  have  answered  in  a  Christian  manner  to  this  unprecedented  call, 
and  triumphantly  jjroved  to  the  world  that  the  Indians,  in  their  native  wilds,  are 
a  kind  and  friendly  people,  and  susceptible  to  mental  improvement. 

I  have  seen  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lee  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Spalding,  and  I  am  fully  con- 
vinced of  the  complete  success  of  the  work  of  these  excellent  and  persevering 
gentlemen. 


MK.  GEO.  CATLIN. 


FLATHKAD  INDIAN. 


HEE-OH-KS-TE-KIN 


H'CO-A-H-CO-AH-COATES-MIN. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       21 

sion  was  made  upon  their  minds  by  the  presence  of  these 
men  and  the  observance  of  their  forms  of  worship. 

Rev.  George  F.  Whitworth,  D.  D.,  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  who  is  famihar  with  the  history  of  the 
reHgious  work  done  among  the  Ncz  Perces,  says,  "The 
four  Indians  who  went  to  St.  Louis  were  Nez  Perces." 
He  refers  to  a  letter  written  by  Miss  McBeth,  a  mis- 
sionary at  Lapwa?,  Idaho,  which  greatly  strengthens  his 
own  view  of  this  matter.    The  letter  is  as  follows : 

Some  time  after  Lewis  and  Clark  left  here,  the  Nez  Perces 
heard  from  some  source  about  God,  and  very  soon  the  Sun 
Pole  was  set  up  near  Walla  Walla.  They  recalled  the  upward 
gestures  of  Lewis  and  Clark,  saying,  "Now  we  know  what  they 
meant.  The  sun  is  called  God."  Years  passed  on,  and  in  their 
groping  they  added  more  ceremonies  to  their  worship,  but 
still  their  hearts  were  not  satisfied,  and  their  annual  councils 
were  closed  with  these  words,  "If  we  could  find  the  path  of 
Lewis  and  Clark,  they  would  tell  us  the  truth  about  God  and 
the  Book  the  white  man  has  from  heaven." 

At  last  they  decided  to  go,  and  two  Lidians  from  the  Kamiah 
community  were  chosen.  A  third  was  from  a  Salmon  River 
band  of  Nez  Perces. 

Their  road  led  them  through  the  Flathead  country,  and 
they  were  joined  by  a  half-and-half  Flathead  and  Nez  Perces. 
These  are  the  four  men  who  went  to  St.  Louis.  Not  a  Nez 
Perces,  old  or  young,  but  that  has  heard  of  their  fathers  going 
out  to  find  the  truth  or  the  light.  The  appeal  they  made  touched 
the  hearts  of  Christian  people  everywhere.  The  pulpit  and  the 
press  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  urged  that  the  call 
be  answered  promptly.' 

An  Important  Letter. 
The  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal,  New  York,  the 
leading  official  organ  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 

2  The  Nez  Perces  are  a  branch  of  the  Flathead  Indian  family.  They  did 
not  conform  rigidly  to  the  custom  of  flattening  the  head.  They  possess  greater 
vigor  of  body  and  mind  than  any  of  the  tribes  that  occupied  the  Oregon  country, 
and  have  not  succumbed  as  readily  and  rapidly  to  the  ravages  of  disease  and  death. 


22  The  Conquerors 

in  its  Issue  of  March  i,  1833,  publishes  a  letter  written 
by  Mr.  William  Walker  to  Mr.  G.  P.  Disosway.  Mr. 
Walker  was  the  agent  and  interpreter  in  the  Wyandot 
Indian  Mission.  We  give  herewith  a  few  extracts  from 
this  important  letter: 

Immediately  after  we  landed  in  St.  Louis,  I  proceeded 
to  Gen.  Clark's  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs  to  present  our 
letters  of  introduction  from  the  Secretary  of  War.  While  in 
his  office  and  transacting  business  with  him,  he  informed  me 
that  three  chiefs  from  the  Flathead  Nation,  west  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  were  at  his  house  and  were  sick,  and  that  one,  the 
fourth,  had  died  a  few  days  ago. 

Never  having  seen  any  of  these  Indians,  but  often  heard 
of  them,  I  was  prompted  to  step  into  an  adjoining  room  to 
see  them.  I  was  struck  with  their  appearance.  They  differ 
from  any  Indians  I  have  ever  seen;  small,  delicately  formed, 
and  the  most  exact  symmetry. 

The  distance  they  had  traveled  on  foot  was  nearly  three 
thousand  miles.  They  said  they  had  come  to  sec  General  Clark, 
their  great  father,  upon  very  important  business. 

General  Clark  related  to  me  the  object  of  their  mission,  and, 
my  dear  friend,  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  describe  my  feelings 
while  listening  to  his  narrative.  I  will  relate  it  briefly:  Some 
white  men  had  passed  through  their  country  and  witnessed  their 
religious  ceremonies,  that  they  scrupulously  performed  at  stated 
periods. 

He  informed  them  that  their  mode  of  worship  was  radically 
wrong,  and,  instead  of  being  acceptable,  it  was  displeasing  to 
the  Great  Spirit.  He  also  informed  them  that  the  white  people, 
away  over  toward  the  rising  sun,  had  the  true  mode  of  worship- 
ing God,  that  they  had  a  Book  containing  directions  so  that 
they  could  hold  converse  with  Him,  and  all  who  would  follow 
the  directions  given  in  this  Book  would  enjoy  His  favor  in  this 
life  and,  after  death,  would  be  received  into  the  country  where 
the  Great  Spirit  resides  and  live  forever.  Upon  receiving  this 
information,  they  called  a  national  council  to  take  the  subject 
into  consideration.  Some  said :  "If  this  be  true,  we  must  know 
more  about  it ;  it  is  a  matter  that  can  not  be  put  off."  They 
accordingly  deputed  four  of  their  chiefs  to  proceed  to  St.  Louis 
to  see  their  great   father.  General  Clark,  and  learn  the  whole 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       23 

truth  about  it.  General  Clark,  being  sensible  of  his  responsi- 
bility, gave  them  a  history  of  man,  from  his  creation  down  to 
the  advent  of  the  Savior;  explained  to  them  the  moral  precepts 
contained  in  the  Bible;  informed  them  about  the  Savior,  His 
life.  His  death,  resurrection,  ascension,  and  the  relation  He  bears 
to  man  as  a  Mediator — that  He  would  judge  the  world,  etc.  .  .  . 
Poor  fellows,  the  change  of  climate  and  of  diet  operated 
very  seriously  upon  their  health.     .     .     , 

How  dense  their  night  and  dark  their  day. 
They  sought  for  light  to  guide  their  way 

Through  life,  and  to  the  great  beyond. 
They  traveled  far  to  find  the  Book 
That  bade  them  to  the  Savior  look 

For  help  and  hope  and  heaven. 

He-oh-ks-te-kin,  upon  his  departure  from  St.  Louis, 
made  a  speech  of  remarkable  beauty  and  tenderness. 
Dr.  H.  K.  Hines,  in  his  book,  "Missionary  History  of 
the  Pacific  Northwest,"  gives  the  text  of  this  address, 
from  which  we  take  a  few  excerpts: 

We  come  to  you  over  a  trail  of  many  moons  from  the 
setting  sun.  .  .  .  We  come  to  you  with  our  eyes  partly  opened 
for  more  light  for  our  people,  who  sit  in  darkness.  .  .  .  We 
made  our  way  to  you  with  strong  arms,  through  many  enemies 
and  strange  lands.  .  .  .  The  two  fathers  who  came  with 
us — the  braves  of  many  winters — we  leave  here  asleep  by  your 
great  wigwam.  They  were  tired  in  their  journey  of  many  moons, 
and  their  moccasins  were  worn  out.  Our  people  sent  us  to 
get  the  white  man's  Book  of  Heaven.     .     .     . 

You  have  made  our  feet  heavy  with  burdens  of  gifts,  and 
our  moccasins  will  grow  old  with  carrying  them,  but  the  Book 
is  not  among  them.  We  are  going  back  over  the  long,  sad 
trail  to  our  people.  When  we  tell  them  in  our  big  council, 
after  one  more  snow,  that  we  did  not  bring  the  Book,  no  word 
will  be  spoken  by  our  old  men,  nor  by  our  young  braves.  One 
by  one  they  will  rise  up  and  go  out  in  silence.  Our  people  will 
die  in  darkness,  and  they  will  go  on  the  long  path  to  other 
hunting  grounds.  No  white  man  will  go  with  them,  and  no 
Book  of  Heaven  to  make  the  w-ay  plain.  We  have  no  more 
words — Farewell. 


24  Tlw  Conquerors 

This  was  a  wonderful  speech — weird,  pathetic,  elo- 
quent, and  sublime.  Dr.  Hines  says :  "There  is  a  sad, 
wild  pathos  in  that  speech.  As  soon  as  the  words  had 
fallen  from  the  lips  of  the  speaker,  these  red  men  turned 
away  westward,  toward  their  homes." 

Was  this  mission  of  these  children  of  the  moun- 
tains a  failure?  To  them  individually.  Yes,  But  to  the 
American  Church,  to  the  Pacific  coast,  and  to  Meth- 
odism, No. 

A  few  months  after  the  departure  of  these  Indians, 
their  story  was  published  in  the  newspapers  and  was  read 
in  all  the  cities  and  villages  of  the  land.  Its  publication 
in  the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal  thrilled  the  heart 
of  the  IMethodist  Episcopal  Church  as  it  never  had  been 
thrilled  before. 

The  communication  from  Mr.  Walker  is  followed,  in 
the  next  column  of  the  same  paper  and  date,  with  an 
article  by  ]\Ir.  G.  P.  Disosway,  from  which  we  give  a 
few  excerpts : 

How  deeply  affecting  is  the  circumstance  of  the  four  native 
chiefs  traveling  on  foot  three  thousand  miles,  sincere  searchers 
after  truth !  The  story  has  scarcely  a  parallel  in  history.  .  .  . 
With  what  intense  concern  will  men  of  God,  whose  souls  are 
fired  with  holy  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  their  fellow-men,  read 
of  their  journey.     .     .     . 

They  are  not  ignorant  of  the  immortality  of  their  souls, 
and  speak  of  a  great  country  where  departed  spirits  rest. 

May  we  not  indulge  the  hope  that  the  day  is  not  far  distant 
when  missionaries  will  penetrate  these  wilds,  where  the  Sabbath 
bell  has  never  yet  tolled  since  the  world  began?  .  .  .  Let  the 
Church  awake  from  her  slumbers  and  go  forth  in  her  strength 
and  labor  for  the  salvation  of  these  wandering  children  of 
the  forest.  We  are  citizens  of  this  vast  universe,  and  our  life 
embraces  not  merely  a  moment  but  eternity  itself.  Thus  exalted, 
what  can  be  more  worthy  of  our  high  destination  than  to  be- 
friend our  species  and  assist  them  in  the  efforts  they  arc  putting 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       25 

forth  to   free  themselves   from  the  chains  of  error  and  super- 
stition, and  bring  them  to  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God? 
New  York,  February  l8,  1833.  G.  P.  D. 

The  following-  is  a  verbatim  copy  of  the  appeal  of 
Rev.  Wilbur  Fisk,  D.  D.,  as  it  appeared  in  the  Christian 
Advocate  and  Journal,  and  in  Zion's  Herald,  March  22, 

1833: 

A  GREAT  PROCLAMATION. 

MISSIONARY     INTELLIGENCE. 

HEAR!      HEAR! 

Who  will  respond  to  the  call  from  beyond  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains? 

Messrs.  Editors, — The  communication  of  Brother  G.  P. 
Dissosway,  including  one  from  the  Wyandot  agent,  on  the 
subject  of  the  deputation  of  the  Flathead  Indians  to  General 
Clark,  has  excited  in  many  in  this  section  intense  interest. 

We  are  for  having  a  mission  established  there  at  once.  I 
have  proposed  the  following  plan:  Let  two  suitable  men,  un- 
encumbered with  families,  and  possessing  the  spirit  of  the 
martyrs,  throw  themselves  into  the  nation,  live  with  them,  learn 
their  language,  preach  Christ  to  them,  and,  as  the  way  opens, 
introduce  schools,  agriculture,  and  the  arts  of  civilized  life.  The 
means  for  these  improvements  can  be  introduced  through  the 
fur  traders,  and  by  reinforcements  with  which  from  time  to  time 
we   can   strengthen   the   mission. 

Money  shall  be  forthcoming.  I  will  be  bondsman  for  the 
Church.  All  we  want  is  the  men.  Who  will  go?  Who?  I 
know  one  young  man  who,  I  think,  will  go,  and  of  whom  I 
can  say,  I  know  of  none  like  him  for  the  enterprise.  If  he 
will  go  (and  I  have  written  to  him  on  the  subject),  we  only 
want  another,  and  the  mission  will  be  commenced  the  coming 
season.  Were  I  young  and  unencumbered,  how  joyfully  would 
I  go!  But  this  honor  is  reserved  for  another.  Bright  will  be 
his  crown.     Glorious  his  reward. 

Affectionately   yours,  W.    FiSK. 

Wesley  an  University,  March  9,  1833. 

Rev.  Nathan  Bangs,  D.  D.,  was  the  corresponding 
secretary  of  the  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal   Church. 


26  The  Conquerors 

Rev.  Wilbur  Fisk,  D.  D.,  was  the  president  of  Wil- 
braham  College. 

Mr.  G.  P.  Disosway  was  born  in  New  York  City, 
December  6,  1798.  For  many  years  he  was  a  suc- 
cessful drygoods  merchant.  He  possessed  fine  literary 
ability  and  was  an  extensive  writer.  He  was  at  one 
time  a  prominent  officer  of  the  Missionary,  the  Sunday- 
school,  and  the  Tract  Societies  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  He  was  regarded  by  Drs,  Fisk,  Bangs, 
Olin,  Jason  Lee,  and  others,  as  the  father  of  the  mis- 
sion to  the  Flathead  Indians.  This  fact  was  referred 
to  at  his  funeral  service  and  also  in  the  obituary  notice 
of  him  that  appeared  in  the  Christian  Advocate  and 
Journal,  July  30,  1868.    He  died  July  10,  1868. 

The  money  contributed  by  Mr.  Disosway  to  the  cause 
of  missions  led  to  the  formation  of  the  Missionary  So- 
ciety of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  1819.  He 
was  not  only  the  father  of  the  Oregon  Mission,  but  of 
the  Missionary  Society  itself. 

A  large  number  of  letters  and  communications  ap- 
pear in  the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal  immediately 
following  the  publication  of  the  articles  referred  to; 
they  embrace  different  dates  and  came  from  sundry  places 
and  persons.  All  of  the  writers  commended  the  effort 
to  establish  a  mission  in  Oregon,  and  some  of  the  letters 
contained  a  remittance  to  assist  in  beginning  the  work. 

The  following  is  from  the  Christian  Advocate  and 
Journal  of  May  10,  1833: 

THE  FLATHEAD  INDIANS. 

St.  Louis,  Mo.,  April  i6th. 
DivAR  Brethren: 

The  coniniunication  respecting  the  Flathead  Indians,  which 
appeared  in  your  paper,  and  the  call  of  Dr.  Fisk,  excited  con- 
siderable attention. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       27 

General  Clark  informed  me  that  the  publication  which  ap- 
peared in  the  Advocate  was  correct,  and  that  the  cause  of  the 
visit  of  the  Indians  was:  Two  of  their  number  had  received 
an  education  at  some  Jesuitical  school  in  Montreal,  Canada,  and 
had  returned  to  the  tribe  and  endeavored,  so  far  as  possible, 
to  instruct  their  brethren  how  the  whites  approached  the  Great 
Spirit. 

A  spirit  of  inquiry  was  aroused,  a  deputation  was  appointed, 
and  a  tedious  journey  of  three  thousand  miles  was  performed 
to  learn  for  themselves  of  Jesus  and  Him  crucified.     .    .    . 
Yours  as  ever,  E.  W.   Sehon. 

A  very  interesting  and  lengthy  article,  bearing  date, 
December  13,  1833,  appeared  in  the  Christian  Advocate 
and  Journal  under  the  caption,  "Mission  to  the  Flathead 
Indians."    The  chief  points  are  as  follows: 

I  St.  Visit  of  Jason  Lee  to  Boston,  accompanied  by  Dr. 
Fisk. 

2d.  Meets  Captain  Wycth  at  Cambridge,  lately  returned  from 
the  Columbia  River,  with  two  natives  from  the  Flathead  tribes, 
one  a  boy  of  fourteen  (half-breed),  the  other  an  Indian  boy 
of  twenty. 

3d.  Missionary  meeting  at  Rromficld  Church;  sermon  by 
Dr.  Fisk,  address  by  Captain  Wyeth  and  Jason  Lee. 

4th.  Another  missionary  meeting  (Sunday),  "intense  inter- 
est." Sermon  by  Dr.  Fisk;  address  by  Jason  Lee.  The  two 
Indian  boys  were  presented. 

The  following  is  copied  from  the  records  of  the  Mis- 
sionary Society  in  New  York : 

GriCDn  StrKI'T,  March  20,  1833. 

Communication  from  Rev.  Wilbur  Fisk  in  relation  to  a 
mission  to  the  Flathead   Indians. 

After  some  conversation,  it  was:  Resolved,  That  the  cor- 
responding secretary  be  requested  to  correspond  with  the  bishop 
on  the  subject  and  also  to  open  a  correspondence  with  General 
Clark,  the  Indian  agent,  and  with  any  other  person  he  may 
judge  expedient  in  relation  to  said  mission. 

Wednesday,  April  17,  1833. 


28  The  Conquerors 

The  corresponding  secretary  reported  that  he  had 
had  an  interview  with  Bishop  Emory,  who  stated  that 
he  had  seen  Mr.  Raub,  of  the  War  Department,  in  re- 
gard to  the  Flathead  Indians,  and  that  a  correspondence 
had  been  opened  up  with  General  Clark  on  the  subject. 

On  motion  of  Rev.  Nathan  Bangs,  the  following  reso- 
lutions were  passed : 

Whereas,  A  providential  opening  appears  to  be  presented  for 
the  establishment  of  a  mission  among  the  Flathead  Indians  west 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and 

Whereas,  Several  young  men  have  offered  their  services  for 
this  work,  and  money  has  been  pledged  for  their  support ;  there- 
fore, 

Resolved,  That  this  board  earnestly  and  respectfully  request 
the  bishops  to  adopt  such  measures  as  they  see  fit  for  the  speedy 
establishment  of  an  aboriginal  mission  west  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, at  such  place,  or  places,  as  they  shall  think  proper  to 
select. 

May  4,   1833. 

A  special  meeting  of  the  board  was  held.  Rev.  Samuel 
Merwin  presided.  Dr.  Ruter,  of  Pittsburg,  opened  with  prayer, 
after  which  highly  interesting  letters  were  read  from  sundry 
persons  in  St.  Louis  in  relation  to  the  Flathead  Indians  who 
had   recently  visited   that   place. 

July  17,  1833- 

The  treasurer  reported  having  received  a  letter  from 
Bishop  Hedding  announcing  the  appointment  of  Rev. 
Jason  Lee  as  superintendent  of  the  mission  among  the 
Flathead  Indians.  Two  associates  were  appointed,  viz.. 
Rev.  Daniel  Lee,  a  nephew  of  the  superintendent,  and 
Cyrus  Shepard. 

Before  Mr.  Lee  started  upon  his  journey  across  the 
continent,  the  names  of  Mr.  P.  L.  Edwards  and  a  Mr. 
Walker  were  added  to  the  company.  These  were  the 
vanguard  of  missionaries  who  came  to  Oregon. 

Mr.  Lee  was  admitted  into  the  New  England  Con- 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       29 

ference  at  its  session  in  1833,  and  ordained  deacon  and 
elder,  and  received  from  the  bishop  the  official  desig- 
nation of  "Missionary  to  the  Flathead  Indians." 

The  following  fall  and  winter  he  traveled  south  in  the  in- 
terest of  his  work.  He  visited  Washington  with  a  view  to 
securing  the  endorsement  of  the  Government  to  his  contemplated 
settlement  in  Oregon.  This  was  necessary  for  the  reason  that, 
under  the  treaty  of  "Joint  Occupancy,"  the  country  was  open 
alike  to  settlement  by  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  and  of 
Great  Britain,  therefore  he  needed  the  permit  of  the  Government 
to  shield  him  from  interference  from  those  who  might  be  hostile 
to  him  and  his  work.  Hence  he  secured  the  endorsement  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  the  Secretary  of  State,  and  the 
Secretary  of  War. — "Missionary  History  of  the  Pacific  North- 
west," by  Dr.  H.  K.  Mines. 

Mr.  Lee  seems  to  have  had  an  adequate  conception  of 
the  greatness  of  the  Oregon  country,  and  of  the  importance  of 
his  work.  Before  leaving  the  Atlantic  Coast,  he  visited  Wash- 
ington and  interviewed  the  President,  to  whom  he  unfolded 
his  plans  and  from  whom  he  secured  executive  endorsement 
and  promise  of  assistance. — Prom  address  of  Hon.  Allen  Weir, 
at  the  Jason  Lee  Memorial  Service  held  in  Salem,  Oregon,  June 
15,  1906. 

He  thus  entered  upon  his  work  backed,  not  only  by 
the  authority  of  what  he  believed  to  be  a  divine  com- 
mission and  by  appointment  of  the  Missionary  Society 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  but  also  with  the 
consent  and  co-operation  of  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment, made  in  such  manner  as  to  give  the  stamp  of 
its  authority  and  approval  to  him  and  to  his  work.  The 
Government  thereby  assumed  a  measure  of  responsibility 
in  this  transaction  and  entered  into  a  kind  of  co-partner- 
ship with  him  in  his  effort  for  the  evangelization  and 
colonization  of  Oregon.  In  January,  1834,  the  Mission- 
ary Board  gave  its  sanction  to  the  arrangements  made 
by  Mr.  Lee  with  Captain  Nathaniel  Wyeth,  of  Boston, 


30  The  Conquerors 

who  had  visited  the  Columbia  River  the  preceding  year, 
and  was  preparing  to  dispatch  a  vessel  to  that  river, 
and  in  the  spring  would  lead  a  party  overland  to  the 
same  point.  This  was  regarded  as  a  providential  oppor- 
tunity to  ship  the  outfit  designed  for  the  establishment 
of  the  mission.  These  goods  were  forwarded  in  Cap- 
tain Wyeth's  brig,  the  Maydacre,  and  it  was  determined 
that  Mr.  Lee  and  his  helperss  should  accompany  the  over- 
land expedition  in  the  spring. 

We  give  herewith  a  brief  statement  of  some  of  the 
many  missionary  meetings  held  by  Jason  Lee,  and  the 
amount  of  the  offerings  contributed  by  the  people  at  these 
gatherings  for  the  founding  of  an  American  missionary 
colony  in  Oregon,  as  reported  in  the  Christian  Advocate 
and  Journal  of  that  period : 

New  Haven,  Conn. — Missionary  meeting,  held  in  this  city  No- 
vember 10,  1833;  offering,  $422.71. 

Forsyth  Church,  New  York,  November  20,  1833. — Meeting  of 
intense  interest;  offering,  $159.68. 

Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  November  22,  1833. — Offering,  $50.  This 
was  a  Presbyterian  Church ;  the  pastor's  name  was  J.  W.  Adams. 

Boston. — Missionary  meeting  in  Bromfield  Church,  Decem- 
ber 13,  1833;  offering,  $210. 

Washington,  D.  C,  March  21,  1834. — Offering,  $52.02. 

Samuel  Dickinson,  of  Louisville,  Ky.,  under  date  of  March 
28,  1834,  writes:  "Rev.  Jason  Lee  arrived  in  this  city  March  22d; 
Tuesday  evening  following  a  great  missionary  meeting  was  held; 
on  the  platform  were  Methodists  and  Presbyterians.  A  collec- 
tion was  taken." 

October  10,  1833,  the  missionaries  met  in  New  York  for 
conference  with  the  Missionary  Board  and  final  preparation  for 
their  work.  The  Board  appropriated  $3,000  for  the  outfitting 
of  the  mission,  and  arrangements  were  made  for  the  early  de- 
parture of  the  missionaries. 

A  farewell  missionary  meeting  was  held  in  Forsyth  Street 
Church  in  New  York,  November  20,  1833,  at  which  Bishop 
Hedding  presided,  and  Dr.  Bangs,  corresponding  secretary  of 
the  Missionary  Society,  and  Dr.  McAulcy,  of  the  American  Board 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       31 

of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  and  several  others  made 
addresses. 

From  the  Pittsburg  Journal,  and  republislicd  in  the 
Christian  Advocate  and  Journal,  April  i8,  1834: 

On  last  Sabbath  our  friends  in  this  city  were  favored  with 
(he  ministerial  services  of  Rev.  Jason  Lee,  on  his  way  to  the 
Flathead  Indians  on  the  other  side  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
.  .  .  His  colleague  remained  at  Alexandria  for  ordination.  He 
will  join  Mr.  Lee  at  Cincinnati.  ...  On  Tuesday  evening,  the 
nth  inst.,  a  large  audience  assembled  in  the  Methodist  Church 
to  hear  Mr.   Lee. 

Rev.  C.  H.  Caston  took  the  chair.     .     .     , 

Rev.  Jason  Lee  addressed  the  audience  for  over  one  hour 
with  great  effect. 

A  collection  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  dollars  was  taken. 

Notices  of  missionary  meetings  and  of  collections 
taken  for  the  Flathead  IVIission  in  Ore^e^on  are  found  in 
almost  every  issue  of  the  Advocate,  and  in  some  of  them 
several  such  notices  appear: 

FLATHEAD  MISSIONARIES. 
Revs.  Jason  and  Daniel  Lee  left  the  city  of  New  York  on 
the  29th  inst.  on  their  way  to  St.  Louis,  preparatory  to  their 
journey  over  the  Rocky  Mountains.  They  will  spend  next 
Sabbath  in  Philadelphia,  the  Sabbath  after  in  Baltimore,  and 
the  following  Sabbath  in  Washington.  In  each  of  these  places 
they  will  hold  meetings  and  take  collections  for  tlie  benefit  of 
the  Flathead  Mission,  in  conformity  to  the  instruction  of  the 
Board  of  Managers  of  the  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  On  leaving  the  city  of  Washington,  they 
will  proceed  on  their  way  West,  stopping  at  all  important  places, 
and  present  the  claims  of  the  Mission. — Christian  Advocate  and 
Journal,  January,  21,  1834. 

FLATHEAD  MISSION. 

In  issue  of  February  21,  1834,  "uder  the  above  caption,  is 
published  a  letter  from  Jason  Lee,  dated  Philadelphia,  February 
8,  1834.     He  speaks  of  the  liberal  offerings  of  the  people,  and 


32  The  Conquerors 

"the  strongly  indicated  providence  of  God,  that  had  marked  the 
development  of  his  missionary  enterprise  from  its  commence- 
ment," and  says :  "We  have  made  arrangements  to  cross  the 
mountains  with  Captain  Wyeth,  whose  company  will  consist  of 
about  fifty  persons.     .     .     . 


y^^^^^ — si— «»— »-\^        cs^^ C-^ 


The  following  excerpt  is  from  a  letter  written  by 
Cyrus  Shepard,  "On  Board  the  steamer  loivay,  ascend- 
ing the  Missouri  River,  April  lo,  1834,"  and  published 
in  the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal,  June  20,  1834: 

The  Lord  has  graciously  given  us  favor  with  our  friends  in 
the  West,  so  that  at  every  place  where  we  have  called  we  have 
received  the  most  cordial  and  hearty  welcome,  been  entertained 
freely,  and  have  received  liberal  contributions  from  the  people 
for  the  support  of  the  mission.  ...  At  Cincinnati  we  were 
favored  with  the  society  of  Bro.  James  B.  Finley.  ...  At 
Louisville  and  St.  Louis  we  were  received  in  the  arms  of 
Christian  affection.     .     .     . 

Yours  in  Christian  affection,  Cyrus  Shepard. 

Zion's  Herald  contains  a  large  amount  of  valuable 
information  touching  the  work  of  Jason  Lee.  We  give 
herewith  a  few  references  to  this  subject  found  in  its 
columns,  with  date  of  publication : 

In  issue  of  April  3,  1833,  is  an  article  entitled,  "Flat- 
head Indians,"  containing  extracts  from  and  comments 
on  the  letter  of  Mr.  William  Walker,  previously  referred 
to  in  these  pages. 

In  issue  of  May  i,  1833,  are  two  communications 
in  response  to  the  above  article  and  an  announcement 
of  the  formation  of  a  society,  the  object  of  which  was 
to  aid  Jason  Lee  in  his  work  in   tlie  Oregon   Mission. 

In  issue  of  May  8,  1833,  there  appears  an  important 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       33 

letter  from  Rev.  Wilbur  Fisk,  and  that  of  May  22d 
contains  an  article  written  by  A.  McAllister,  of  St. 
Louis,  touching  the  Oregon  Mission. 

Issues  of  June  19,  July  3,  24,  and  31,  1833,  con- 
tain facts  and  items  of  interest  and  importance  about 
the  preparation  that  was  being  made  for  the  establish- 
ment of  the  mission  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  Oregon. 

Issue  of  August  7th  has  an  article  taken  from  the 
New  York  Observer,  also  a  letter  to  Wilbur  Fisk,  signed 
"X  X  New  London,"  each  of  them  referring  to  matters 
of  interest  connected  with  the  Oregon  Mission.  Also 
a  letter  to  Mr.  G.  P.  Disosway,  containing  an  offer  of 
two  thousand  dollars  for  mission  work  in  Oregon. 

Issues  of  August  21st  and  28th  contain  acknowledg- 
ments of  contributions  received  for  Mr.  Lee's  mission 
work. 

In  issue  of  November  13th,  an  article  is  copied  from 
the  New  York  Observer,  which  refers  to  the  effort  of 
the  ]\Iethodist  Episcopal  Church  to  establish  a  mission 
in  Oregon,  and  the  writer  makes  a  contribution  of  money 
to  this  work. 

Issue  of  December  4,  1833,  gives  an  account  of  a 
visit  of  Rev.  Jason  Lee  to  Boston  on  the  eve  of  his 
departure  for  the  West.  A  great  missionary  meeting 
was  held  in  Bromfield  Street  Church ;  many  questions 
were  asked  about  the  Oregon  country,  and  were  answered 
by  Captain  Nathaniel  Wyeth.  A  liberal  contribution  was 
made  to  the  Oregon  Mission. 

Issue  of  December  18,  1833,  contains  an  article  en- 
titled, "Missionary  Meetings,"  and  embraces  an  account 
of  large  and  enthusiastic  meetings  held  at  New  Haven 
and  another  at  Lynn,  addressed  by  Jason  Lee.  The  con- 
tributions aggregated  ^572.71. 
3 


34  The  Conquerors 

The  paper  of  the  same  date  reproduces  an  article 
from  the  Nezv  York  Observer,  under  the  caption,  "Ore- 
gon Expedition,"  with  extracts  from  a  letter  of  John 
Ball,  in  which  reference  is  madeto  Captain  Wyeth,  to 
Jason  Lee,  and  to  the  mission  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  was  about  to  establish  in  Oregon.  The  writer 
gives  a  graphic  description  of  the  Oregon  country,  its 
geographical  formation,  climate,  character  of  soil,  its 
location,  and  its  political  and  commercial  importance  as 
a  part  of  the  territory  of  the  United  States. 

Issue  of  January  i,  1834,  contains  a  second  letter 
from  Air.  Ball  on  the  "Oregon  Expedition,"  copied  from 
the  New  York  Observer. 

On  January  8th  is  published  a  third  letter  from  Mr. 
Ball  on  the  "Oregon  Expedition."  It  is  copied  from  the 
New  York  Commercial  Advertiser. 

Issue  of  January  22d  contains  an  account  of  ser- 
mons and  addresses  delivered  by  Rev.  Jason  Lee  at 
Charlestown,  Mass.,  and  other  points. 

Paper  of  January  29th  publishes  acknowledgments 
of  moneys  received  for  the  Oregon  missionary  move- 
ment. 

Issues  of  March  26th  and  of  the  following  week 
give  an  interesting  account  of  Jason  Lee's  work  in  be- 
half of  the  Oregon  Mission,  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  and 
Louisville,  Ky. ;  of  the  contributions  taken,  and  of  the 
great  interest  and  enthusiasm  manifested. 

May  21,  1834;  issue  of  this  date  describes  a  great 
missionary  meeting  held  in  St.  Louis,  addressed  by  Revs. 
Jason  and  Daniel  Lee.  The  service  was  held  in  the 
Methodist  Church.  A  large  congregation  was  present. 
Prayer  was  offered  by  Rev.  Mr.  Howell,  of  the  Epis- 
copal Church ;  address  by  Rev.  Jason  Lee,  of  which  the 
writer  says : 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       35 

In  a  most  forcible  manner  he  advocated  the  cause  of  mis- 
sions. .  .  .  He  gave  a  history  of  the  origin  of  this  mission 
and  his  call  to  the  same.  ,  .  .  The  deepest  interest  was  felt 
during  his  address.  .  .  ."  Daniel  Lee  was  the  next  speaker. 
''He  failed  not  to  gain  every  eye  and  affect  every  heart.  He  said 
this  is  a  very  interesting  meeting,  and  no  doubt  deemed  such 
by  all  present,  but  particularly  so  by  himself,  when  he  remem- 
bered that  he  stood  upon  the  verge  of  civilization  and  that  this 
was  the  last  time  for  years,  perhaps  forever,  that  he  should 
stand  within  walls  like  these  and  worship  God  with  his  brethren. 
He  told  of  the  farewell  scene  between  his  father  and  himself, 
and  referred  to  the  death  of  the  two  Indians  in  the  city  while 
on  a  visit  to  General  Clark  and  said,  if  their  graves  could  be 
pointed  out,  he  would  go  there  and  on  his  knees  beg  the  God  of 
missions  to  aid  them  in  their  great  undertaking.  He  then  asked 
the  prayers  of  the  congregation  and  bade  them  farewell." 

Rev.  Mr.  Botts,  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  made  an  elo- 
quent address  and  very  touchingly  referred  to  the  visit  of  the 
Flathead  Indians  to  General  Clark's  Indian  Agency.  Rev.  Mr. 
Hatfield,  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  was  the  last  speaker.  A 
collection  was  taken,  and  prayer  was  offered  by  Rev.  John 
Mitchell,  of  the  Illinois  Conference.  The  closing  paragraph  of 
this  long  and  important  letter  is  as  follows : 

"Brother  Lee  wished  an  agent  appointed  in  this  city  by  the 
Missionary  Board,  who  should  act  as  a  medium  of  corre- 
spondence and  transact  here  the  general  business  of  the  mission. 
This  is  very  important.  We  spoke  to  Rev.  J.  Tabor,  a  local 
preacher  of  this  city,  and  we  heartily  recommend  him  as  a 
suitable  person  for  such  an  office.  I  hope  that  the  appoint- 
ment may  be  made.    Brother  Lee  will  write  you  from  Liberty." 

This  communication  is  signed  by  E.  W.  Sehon. 

In  issue  of  June  i8,  1834,  is  published  an  interest- 
ing letter  from  Jason  Lee,  and  in  issue  of  September 
24th  a  communication  from  Cyrus  Shepard,  each  of 
which  give  important  facts  associated  with  this  great 
missionary  movement. 


CHAPTER  II 
On  the  Oregon  Trail 

On  the  way  across  the  plains  and  over  the  moiintin 
trails,  Jason  Lee  wrote  several  letters  to  the  Missionary 
Society.  They  are  written  under  the  heading,  "Flat- 
head Mission,"  and  are  directed  "To  the  Corresponding 
Secretary  of  the  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church." 

These  letters  describe  the  journey  and  show  the  in- 
tense interest  of  the  writer  in  the  great  missionary  work 
upon  which  he  had  entered.  They  are  lengthy  and  in- 
teresting; one  of  them  is  dated  "Rocky  Mountains,  July 
I,  1834,"  and  contains  much  memoranda  bearing  dif- 
ferent dates,  and  was  published  in  the  Christian  Advo- 
cate and  Journal,  September  26,   1834: 

Mr.  Lee  and  his  party  left  Independence,  on  the  Missouri 
frontier,  on  the  last  day  of  April,  1834.  They  traveled  with 
Captain  Wyeth  and  his  band  of  trappers  and  traders,  numbering 
about  two  hundred  men.  Once  beyond  the  pale  of  civilization, 
these  men  were  a  law  unto  themselves.  They  were  bold  and 
reckless  and  chafed  under  the  restraints  of  civilized  life.  Threats 
of  violence  to  the  missionaries  liad  been  made.  Mr.  Lee  had 
been  advised  of  this  by  Captain  Wyeth.  He  thanked  the  Captain 
for  the  information,  but  said  that  "he  feared  no  man,  and  had 
no  apprehension  of  difficulty."  He  sought  an  introduction  to 
those  who  had  threatened  him.  He  talked  to  them  about  the 
different  phases  of  their  mountain  life.  He  so  won  their  respect 
that  thereafter  they  were  ready  to  serve  him  in  any  way  in  their 
power. 

36 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       37 

Mr.  Townshand,  a  scientific  gentleman  traveling  with 
the  expedition,  says  of  Mr.  Lee,  in  his  own  journal: 

Mr.  Lee  is  a  great  favorite  with  the  men — deservedly  so,  and 
there  are  probably  few  persons  to  whose  preaching  they  would 
have  listened  with  so  much  pleasure.  I  have  been  amused  and 
pleased  with  Mr.  Lee's  manner  of  reproving  them  for  their 
carelessness  and  profanity  of  expression.  The  reproof,  though 
decided,  clear,  and  strong,  is  always  characterized  by  the  mild- 
ness and  affectionate  manner  peculiar  to  the  man,  and  although 
the  good  effect  of  the  advice  was  not  always  discernible,  yet 
it  is  always  treated  with  respect  and  its  utility  is  acknowledged. 
— "Missionary  History  of  the  Pacific  Northwest,"  page  71. 

Mr.  Lee  reached  the  summit  ridge  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  June  15th.  Here  the  misssionaries  changed 
their  companionship  and  associated  themselves  with  the 
company  of  Mr.  T.  McKay,  with  whom  there  were  a 
number  of  Indians  from  the  Columbia  River  region. 
When  they  learned  who  the  missionaries  were  and  what 
was  their  purpose  in  the  country,  they  presented  Mr. 
Lee  with  two  fine  horses,  and  expressed  much  gratifi- 
cation that  there  was  a  prospect  of  his  stopping  per- 
manently in  the  country. 

"The  bark  that  bore  Caesar  and  his  fortunes  bore 
not  half  so  momentous  a  burden  as  did  the  beast  that 
bore  Jason  Lee  on  his  mission  to  Oregon." — Dr.  H.  K. 
Mines. 

First  Religious  Services. 

The  first  religious  services  west  of  the  Rockies,  con- 
ducted by  Rev.  Jason  Lee,  were  held  at  Fort  Hall,  in 
latitude  43°  14'  north  and  longitude  112°  30'  west,  on 
the  south  bank  of  the  Lewis,  or  the  Snake  River,  in 
what  is  now  Southwestern  Idaho,  July  27,  1834. 

Mr.  Lee,  in  his  journal,  says: 

We  repaired  to  the  grove  about  half  past  three  o'clock  for 
public  worship.     I  did  not  attempt  to  preach,  but  gave  a  short 


38  The  Conquerors 

exhortation  from  i  Cor.  x,  31 :  "Whether,  therefore,  yet  eat  or 
drink,  or  whatsoever  ye  do,  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God."  In  the 
evening  two  of  Mr.  McKay's  men  ran  a  horse  race;  one  of  the 
men  was  thrown  from  the  horse  and  killed.  The  next  day, 
^Monday,  Mr.  McKay  asked  me  to  conduct  a  funeral  service.  I 
attended  at  twelve  o'clock,  read  the  90th  Psalm,  prayed,  and  then 
went  to  the  grave,  where  I  read  a  part  of  the  fifteenth  chapter 
of  First  Corinthians,  and  also  read  the  burial  service  as  found 
in  our  Discipline. 

This  was  the  first  funeral  service  held  west  of  the 
Rockies  by  an  American  clergyman. 

Mr.  Lee  preached  twice  at  Fort  Vancouver,  Sep- 
tember 28,  1834.  This  was  a  cosmopolitan  congrega- 
tion and  consisted  of  Americans,  English,  Scotch,  French, 
Irish,  Japanese,  Kanakas,  half-breeds,  and  Indians. 
yVmong  them  were  persons  of  the  highest  intelligence 
and  others  of  the  deepest  ignorance.  We  give  herewith 
a  facsimile  excerpt  from  Mr.  Lee's  diary,  in  which  he 
refers  to  this  service.^ 

October  19th  he  preached  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Ger- 
vais,  near  the  present  town  of  Gervais,  from  Ezekiel 
xxxiii,  II,  "Turn  ye,  turn  ye  from  your  evil  ways,  for 
why  will  ye  die,  O  house  of  Israel."  These  were  the 
first  religious  services  held  on  the  Pacific  coast  of  North 
America  under  American  auspices.  They  marked  the 
beginning  of  the  work  that  has  been  remarkable  in  the 
magnitude  and  significance  of  its  results,  not  only  in 
a  religious,  but  in  a  civil  and  commercial  sense  as  well. 

On  the  14th  day  of  December,  1834,  Mr.  Lee  preached 
at  Fort  Vancouver,  and  baptized  four  adults  and  seven- 
teen children.     No  doubt  these  were  the  first  persons 


1  The  service  held  at  Fort  H.nll  w.ts  an  incident  in  the  journey  of  Mr.  Lee  to 
Oregon.  That  at  Vancouver  was  his  first  dchvcrance  on  the  coast  that  he  called  a 
sermon.  It  was  also  the  first  service  he  held  in  the  region  of  country  where  his 
mission  was  established. 


EXCERPT     FROM     THE     DIARY    OF     JASON     LEE. 
Written   in   1834. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       39 

consecrated  to  the  Lord  in  baptism  in  the  Oregon  coun- 
try. Mr.  Lee  was  a  great  favorite  with  the  people  at 
the  fort,  as  he  also  was  with  the  French  and  half-castes 
near  Gervais.  They  for  the  most  part  were  Canadians 
and  Catholics,  yet  his  influence  with  them  was  very 
strongly  marked,  and  continued  as  long  as  he  remained 
in  the  country. 

The  pioneer  Methodist  ministers  and  laymen  who, 
under  God,  laid  the  foundations  of  empire  in  this  land 
of  the  setting  sun,  builded  better  than  they  knew.  They 
were  men  of  heroic  mold.  They  endured  trials,  made 
sacrifices,  and  braved  dangers  that,  in  the  light  of  the 
changed  conditions  of  the  present,  seem  almost  incred- 
ible. They  not  only  blazed  the  pathway  for  the  on- 
coming of  Christian  civilization,  but  they  brought  it  with 
them;  they  themselves  were  the  founders  and  the  ex- 
ponents of  civilization  in  this  new  land.  They  incor- 
porated its  principles  in  their  own  hearts  and  lives  and, 
with  voice  and  pen  and  themselves  consecrated  to  their 
God-given  work,  they  laid  the  foundations  of  individual, 
of  social,  civil,  and  religious  liberty  and  life  in  Oregon. 

First  in  the  order  of  his  coming,  and  pre-eminently 
first  in  point  of  sanctified  leadership,  was  Jason  Lee. 
Strong  in  body  and  in  mind,  of  princely  mien  and  kingly 
birth,  he  and  his  compeers  could  claim  a  lineage  that 
outranked  that  of  earthborn  royalty.  They  were  the 
children  of  a  King  to  whose  reign  there  will  be  no  end. 
In  His  name  they  set  up  their  banners. 

The  greatness  and  far-reaching  benefits  of  the  work 
of  these  stalwart  men  and  women  is  seen  in  its  effects 
in  molding  the  character  of  the  white  population  com- 
ing to  these  shores ;  in  the  splendid  citizenship  they  fos- 
tered and  encouraged ;  in  the  pure  and  elevated  home 
life   they   inspired  and   exemplified;   in   the   institutions 


40  The  Conquerors 

they  established — these  were  the  outgrowth  of  their  ex- 
ample, their  teachings,  and  their  efforts.  They  thus  be- 
queathed to  the  people  an  inheritance  of  priceless  worth. 

In  addition  to  those  who  came  to  the  coast  with 
Jason  Lee  in  1834,  Revs.  David  Leslie  and  H.  K.  W. 
Perkins  came  in  1837.  These  ministers,  with  their  fami- 
lies, constituted  the  vanguard  of  the  great  missionary 
corps  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Oregon. 
Associated  with  them  were  lay  members  of  the  Church, 
who,  with  their  families,  were  sent  out  as  physicians, 
teachers,  tradesmen,  mechanics,  farmers,  and  laborers, 
whose  services  were  needed  to  carry  on  the  work  at 
the  several  missionary  stations. 

In  the  spring  of  1837,  Dr.  Elijah  White  and  wife, 
Alanson  Beers  and  wife.  Miss  Anna  M.  Pittman,  Miss 
Susan  Downing,  and  Miss  Elvira  Johnson  came  as  a 
reinforcement  to  the  mission,  and  in  the  autumn  of  that 
year  Miss  Margaret  Smith's  name  was  added  to  the 
list.  This  year  was  marked  by  the  coming  of  a  large 
number  of  efficient  helpers  in  the  work  at  the  mission 
stations, 

Mr.  Lee's  wisdom  and  forecast  is  indicated  in  a 
marked  degree  in  his  selection  of  the  places  where  he 
established  his  mission  stations.  Salem,  the  center  of 
the  Willamette  Valley,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  val- 
leys on  the  continent ;  the  Dalles,  the  key  to  the  great 
inland  empire ;  Astoria,  at  the  entrance  of  the  Columbia ; 
Oregon  City,  contiguous  to  Portland ;  Nisqually,  on 
Puget  Sound,  practically  the  region  now  occupied  by 
Tacoma.  Every  one  of  these  places  is  a  strategic  point 
to  reach  and  from  which  to  touch  the  regions  beyond. 

In  the  unfolding  light  of  the  years  that  have  inter- 
vened, it  is  easy  to  see  that  it  would  have  been  impos- 
sible to  have  made  better  selections. 


*.v-A 


FORT  VANCOUVER. 


FORT  WALLA  WALLA. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       41 

Dr.  John  McLoughlin,  general  manager  of  the  Hud- 
son Bay  Company,  was  a  man  of  great  candor  and 
clear  judgment.  He  suggested  to  Mr.  Lee  the  importance 
of  establishing  a  mission  in  the  Willamette  Valley,  as 
the  following  note,  found  among  his  papers,  will  indi- 
cate: 

In  1834  Revs.  Jason  and  Daniel  Lee  and  Messrs.  Walker 
and  P.  L.  Edwards  came,  with  Mr.  Wyeth,  to  establish  a  mission 
in  the  Flathead  country.  I  observed  to  them  that  to  do  good 
among  the  Indians  they  must  establish  themselves  where  they 
could  collect  the  Indians  around  them,  teach  them  first  to 
cultivate  the  ground  and  live  more  comfortably  than  they  do 
by  hunting,  and,  as  they  do  this,  teach  them  religion.  That  the 
Willamette  afforded  them  a  fine  field,  and  that  they  ought  to 
go  there.    They  followed  my  advice  and  went  to  the  Willamette. 

Mr.  Lee  investigated  this  matter  carefully  before  he 
selected  the  point  near  Salem  as  the  headquarters  of 
his  mission  work  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and,  no  doubt,  as 
the  result  of  the  exercise  of  his  own  view  of  the  case, 
yet  it  is  pleasing  to  note  tliat  his  judgment  accorded 
with  the  opinion  of  Dr.  McLoughlin, 

The  control  of  these  centers  became  factors  of  great 
influence  and  power,  and  before  the  close  of  1840  Lee's 
army  of  occupation  had  taken  such  possession  of  them 
that  the  United  States  Government  held  the  key  to  the 
permanent  occupancy  and  control  of  the  Pacific  coast 
country. 

At  the  mission  station  on  the  Willamette  three  log 
houses  were  erected.  The  main  building  was  twenty  by 
thirty  feet  in  size ;  on  the  table  in  the  mission  room  was 
a  copy  of  the  Bible,  and  on  the  wall  over  the  fireplace 
was  a  copy  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  The 
Oregon  of  to-day  was  born  and  cradled  in  this  house. 

The  settlement  thus  established  on  the  banks  of  the 
Willamette  had  a  vigorous  growth.     In  1840  the  swad- 


42  The  Conquerors 

dling  clothes  the  child  had  worn  were  exchanged  for 
garments  of  larger  size  and  of  American  pattern,  and  in 
July,  1843,  the  youth  of  yesterday  set  up  housekeeping 
for  himself. 

The  influence  exerted  by  and  through  this  mission 
settlement  reached  all  parts  of  the  United  States  and 
touched  every  phase  of  the  Oregon  question,  and  made 
the  American  conquest  of  Oregon  inevitable. 

Regular  Sunday  and  week-day  services  were  held  at 
the  mission  house.  Special  revival  services,  however, 
were  held  from  time  to  time.  One  of  the  most  notable 
meetings  of  this  character  had  its  beginning  at  a  love- 
feast  held  Sunday  morning,  December  30,  1838.  The 
services  were  in  charge  of  Rev.  David  Leslie  and  Rev. 
H.  K.  W,  Perkins.  The  attendants  consisted  for  the 
most  part  of  Indian  youths  and  children  of  the  mission 
school,  many  of  whom  declared  their  desire  to  give  their 
hearts  to  God. 

Most  of  the  pupils  were  converted  before  the  series 
of  services  were  closed.  Many  adults,  white  people  and 
Indians,  were  also  converted,  and  a  great  moral  uplift 
was  given  to  the  settlement. 

Two  men,  formerly  friends,  but  now  deadly  enemies, 
attended  this  meeting.  Each  of  these  mountaineers  had 
sworn  to  take  the  life  of  the  other.  One  of  them  was 
converted  at  the  meetings.  A  mutual  friend  of  these 
men  had  also  been  converted.  He  sought  and  secured 
the  attendance  of  the  third  man  in  the  case.  He  came 
and  seated  himself  in  a  distant  part  of  the  room,  among 
a  motley  group  of  whites,  half-castes,  Hawaiians,  and 
Indians.  He  seemed  to  be  troubled.  Did  it  mean  for- 
giveness for  his  foe,  or  revenge?  Who  could  tell?  Pres- 
ently he  dropped  upon  his  knees  and  began  to  pray. 
The  missionaries  pointed  him  to  Christ,  the  Savior  of 


y^^*«  -^^.IVlll/^-    'Hitllilrtll,!. 


FALLS  OF  THE  WILLAMETTE. 


WILLAMETTE  PLAINS. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       43 

men.  An  hour  passed.  When  he  arose,  his  late  enemy 
was  standing  but  a  few  feet  away.  Tlie  assembly  was 
hushed  into  silence.  As  their  eyes  met,  with  tears  and 
shouts  they  embraced  each  other  and  besought  pardon 
for  the  wrongs  they  had  inllictcd  the  one  upon  the  other. 

The  Prince  of  Peace  had  changed  their  will 
And  bade  their  troubled  hearts  be  still. 

Thus  by  the  kindly  efforts  of  the  missionaries  and 
the  blessed  influence  of  the  Gospel  in  transforming  the 
lives  of  men,  these  mountaineers  were  saved  from  the 
destructive  effects  of  their  own  misdeeds. 

We  give  a  brief  extract  from  a  letter  received  by 
Mr.  Lee  at  a  little  later  date : 

WiLAMET,  January  12,  1841. 
DeAR  Mr.  Lee:: 

Having  so  far  recovered  my  strength  as  to  be  able  to  ride 
to  this  place,  ...  I  arrived  in  the  same  state  of  feeling  as 
when  you  visited  me.  My  mind  was  full  of  enmity  against 
God   and   man. 

The  world  appeared  to  me  a  vast  desert  in  which  was 
nothing  desirable.  Life  seemed  a  curse,  and  I  had  no  hope 
beyond  it.  Although  weary  of  skepticism,  I  felt  no  disposition 
to  believe  in  God,  or  in  His  Word.  .  .  .  But  through  His 
mercy  and  the  prayer  of  friends,  my  mind  became  powerfully 
exercised,  and  unbelief  began  to  give  way.  I  made  an  effort 
to  believe  in  God.  I  called  on  His  name,  and  soon  found 
peace  and  love  to  Him  and  to  all  mankind,  which  I  had  never 
known  before.  Thank  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  for 
His  mercy  to   sinners,   of  whom  I  am  chief ! 

Yours  truly,  ROBERT  Shortess." 


2  Th«  statement  of  Jason  Lee  made  in  his  report  to  the  Missionary  Board,  as 
given  elsewhere  in  these  pages,  touching  the  moral  transformation  that  had  taken 
place  in  Oregon,  is  abundantly  corroborated  by  these  and  other  facts  of  a  kindred 
nature  stated  in  this  book. 


44  The  Conquerors 

A  Gr^at  Work,  Involving  a  Large;  Expenditure;  op 
Money. 

The  undertaking  and  the  plans  outHned  for  mis- 
sionary work  in  Oregon  were  extraordinary.  It  re- 
quired a  mighty  faith  at  that  period  to  project  an  en- 
terprise of  such  immense  proportions,  that  embraced  so 
many  difficulties,  and  that  demanded  so  large  an  expendi- 
ture of  money. 

Dr.  Nathan  Bangs,  the  corresponding  secretary  of 
the  Missionary  Society,  said: 

The  projection  of  this  important  mission  had  a  most  happy- 
effect  upon  the  missionary  cause  generally,  as  the  funds  of  the 
society  up  to  this  time  had  not  exceeded  $i8,coo  a  year;  and, 
as  this  mission  must  necessarily  cost  considerable,  with  a  view 
to  augment  the  pecuniary  resources  of  the  society,  a  loud  call 
was  made  through  the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal  to  the 
friends    of   missions   to   come   to    our   help    in    this    emergency. 

The  Messrs.  Lee  were  instructed  to  travel  as  extensively  as 
possible,  hold  missionary  meetings,  and  take  collections. 

The  Flathead  Mission,  as  it  was  called,  possessed  a  charm 
around  which  clustered  the  warm  affections  of  the  friends  of 
this  great  missionary  enterprise,  and  special  donations  for  the 
"Flatheads"  were  sent  to  the  treasury  with  cheering  liberality 
and  avidity. 

Dr.  H.  K.  Hines  says  of  this  statement  of  Dr.  Bangs's : 

If  this  was  true  of  the  inception  of  the  mission  in  1834, 
it  was  true  in  a  much  larger  sense  in  the  great  expansion  of  the 
work  in  1839.  So  rapidly  had  it  grown  and  so  completely  had  it 
been  fixed  in  the  public  mind,  that  it  came  to  have  the  character 
of  a  national  propagandism  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  as  well 
as  that  of  a  religious  evangelism  among  the  Indians. 

That  the  public  sentiment  of  the  Methodists  and  of 
the  people  of  the  United  States  heartily  approved  of 
the  action  of  the  Missionary  Society  in  establishing  a 
mission  in  Oregon  ;  that  they  felt  a  deep  and  abiding 


FIRST  MISSION  OF  THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 
IN  OREGON,   ESTABLISHED  IN  1834. 


^■">V  ^  -WW, 


METHODIST  MISSION  AT  THE  DALLES. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       45 

interest  in  the  work  of  Jason  Lcc  and  in  the  presenta- 
tion he  made  of  the  financial  claims  of  his  work ;  that 
they  gave  him  enthusiastic  support  in  his  eflforts  to  make 
his  great  missionary  enterprise  a  success,  is  evident  from 
the  following  facts: 

Not  only  did  the  people  in  large  numbers  attend 
upon  his  ministrations  in  the  Churches  whither  he  went, 
but  the  prompt  response  they  made  to  his  appeals  for 
financial  help  was  unprecedented  in  its  liberality. 

In  1883,  $17,097  were  raised  to  sustain  the  missionary 
operations  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

In  1834,  under  the  inspiration  given  to  the  missionary 
movement  in  behalf  of  Oregon,  and  as  the  result  of  the 
work  of  Rev.  Jason  Lee,  $35,700  were  raised — more  than 
double  the  amount  of  the  preceding  missionary  year. 

In  1840,  the  receipts  of  the  Missionary  Society  were 
$136,410.87. 

The  Cost  oi^  Founding  and  Sustaining  the  American 
Missionary  Colony. 

The  money  expended  by  the  Missionary  Society  in 
establishing  the  mission  work  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  Oregon  from  1834  to  1844,  as  given  in  the 
records  of  the  Missionary  Society  in  New  York,  was 
$173,365  for  that  period,  and  for  that  purpose  this  sum 
was  one  of  colossal  proportions. 

The  raising  of  this  money  was  made  possible  by 
the  strong  and  convincing  missionary  appeals  and  the 
eloquent  descriptions   of   Oregon   made   by   Jason   Lee. 

The  use  of  these  funds  enabled  missionaries  to  come 
to  Oregon  in  large  numbers.  By  it  their  transportation 
was  secured,  their  equipment  provided  for,  their  food 
supplies  purchased,  and  the  American  settlement  estab- 


46  The  Conquerors 

lished  and  furnished  with  facilities  for  maintaining  an 
independent  American  colony. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  and  no  doubt  providential, 
that  Jason  Lee  obtained  access  to  the  hearts  of  the  mem- 
bership of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States  to  such  an  extent  that  he  was  enabled  to  raise 
large  amounts  of  money  with  which  to  inaugurate  and 
equip  his  great  missionary  enterprise,  and  closely  inter- 
woven with  this  fact  is  another  of  equal  importance; 
by  the  payment  of  this  money,  and  the  information  and 
the  conviction  that  had  prompted  the  gifts,  the  donors 
were  linked  in  bonds  of  interest  and  friendship  to  Oregon 
and  the  mission  that  their  money,  their  prayers,  and 
their  efforts  had  helped  to  establish.  Thus  Mr.  Lee, 
by  his  addresses  and  the  publication  of  facts  incident 
to  his  work,  was  creating  public  interest  in  behalf  of 
Oregon  that  was  of  inestimable  value  in  securing  an 
American  solution  of  the  Oregon  question. 

To  be  added  to  this  in  the  cost  of  maintaining  the 
mission  was  had  in  the  products  of  the  farm  and  in  the 
increase  and  use  of  the  stock. 

To  be  added  to  this  in  the  cost  of  maintaining  the 
American  mission  settlement,  was  the  money  put  into  it 
by  the  settlers  who  were  not  missionaries.  While  it 
is  true  that  in  many  cases  the  early  emigrants  were 
moneyless,  having  exhausted  their  means  in  coming  to 
the  coast,  and  were  assisted  by  the  missionaries  in  estab- 
lishing their  home  life  in  Oregon,  it  is  also  true  that 
many  of  them  had  a  limited  amount  of  money;  they  had 
sold  their  farms,  stock,  and  farming  utensils,  and  used 
this  in  erecting  houses  and  barns,  and  providing  for  their 
wants  in  such  way  as  their  means  would  allow  and  the 
primitive  conditions  of  the  country  would  permit. 

Zion's  Herald,   issue  of  January   i8,   1837,  contains 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       47 

an  account  of  a  great  missionary  meeting  held  in  McBcn- 
nett  Street  Church,  Boston,  on  the  eve  of  the  departure 
of  a  small  reinforcement  to  Jason  Lee's  American  mis- 
sionary settlement  in  Oregon.  Revs.  David  Leslie  and 
H.  K.  W.  Perkins  and  Miss  Margaret  Smith  addressed 
the  meeting.    Collection,  $95.    At  Lynn,  $50. 

June  14,  1837,  is  published  a  letter  from  Jason  Lee, 
and  July  19th  a  letter  from  Cyrus  Shepard.  August 
2d  contains  an  interesting  article  on  the  Oregon  mission. 
November  27th  has  a  long  letter  from  Jason  Lee,  em- 
bracing two  columns.  It  gives  an  account  of  the  work, 
situation,  and  description  of  the  country,  needs  of  the 
mission,  etc. 

Issue  of  December  27,  1837,  contains  a  letter  from 
Rev.  David  Leslie,  in  which  he  tells  of  their  safe  ar- 
rival at  Honolulu  and  of  the  many  kindnesses  shown 
them  by  the  missionaries  of  the  American  Board  sta- 
tioned in  the  Hawaiian  Islands. 

Mr.  Lee  Forms  a  Cattle  Company. 

A  meeting  was  called  at  the  Methodist  Mission  for 
this  purpose  January  13,  1837.  ]\Ir.  Lee  furnished  a  draft 
for  $500. 

Dr.  McLoughlin  gave  valuable  assistance  to  the  move- 
ment and  took  shares  in  the  stock.  The  men  went  down 
the  coast  in  the  brig  Loriot.  Eight  hundred  head  of 
Mexican  cattle  were  bought,  at  from  $3  to  $5  a  head, 
and  sixteen  horses.  About  one  hundred  cattle  were  lost 
on  the  route  from  Mexico  (California)  to  Oregon. 

Mr.  P.  L.  Edwards  and  Mr.  Ewing  Young  had 
charge  of  the  expedition. 

The  mountains,  the  absence  of  roads,  the  great  dis- 
tance, the  attacks  of  Indians,  the  lack  of  facilities  for 
their  own  protection,   and   the  protection  and  care  of 


48  The  Conquerors 

their  cattle,  made  their  work  one  of  great  hardship  and 
peril.  The  wonder  is  that,  with  the  several  desultory 
attacks  made  upon  them  by  the  Indians,  they  escaped 
with  their  lives.  The  success  of  this  expedition  was 
an  important  milestone  on  the  road  to  American  su- 
premacy in  Oregon, 

The  Christian  Advocate,  June  9,  1837,  ^^^  ^  letter 
from  Jason  Lee,  dated  January  loth: 

Went  to  the  lower  part  of  our  settlement  to  meet  Wm.  A. 
Slacum,  an  officer  in  the  United  States  Navy,  and  Government 
agent.  I  went  with  him  to  the  houses  of  all  the  settlers,  and 
introduced  him  at  the  Mission  House.  He  expressed  great 
astonishment  at  what  had  been  done  in  the  settlement  in  an 
agricultural  line,  and  the  progress  the  children  had  made  in 
speaking  and  reading  English. 

The  settlers  have  no  neat  cattle  of  their  own,  and  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company  refuses  to  sell.  They  have  loaned  us 
cows  for  milk,  but  to  eat  a  piece  of  beef  is  out  of  the  question. 
We  are  heartily  tired  of  this  state  of  things,  and  as  it  is  not 
a  difficult  thing  to  bring  cattle  from  California,  we  have  resolved 
to  form  ourselves  into  a  joint  stock  concern  to  effect  our 
object.     Our  reason  for  embarking  in  this  enterprise  is    ,     .    . 

It  is  impossible  to  carry  on  an  establishment  of  this  kind 
successfully  without  cattle.     .     .     . 

The  party,  consisting  of  eleven  whites  and  two  or  three 
Indians,  availed  themselves  of  the  kind  offer  of  Mr.  Slacum  and 
will  sail  to-morrow  on  the  Loriot,  free  of  expense.     .     .     . 

Mr.   Slacum  takes  great  interest  in  our  mission.     .    ,     . 

The  same  issue  contains  a  copy  of  "articles  of 
agreement  entered  into  this  13th  day  of  January,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  1837,"  for  the  formation  of  the  "Oregon 
Cattle  Company ;"  a  list  of  the  names  of  the  subscribers, 
with  amount  of  stock  taken,  follows. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       49 

When  Mr.  Lee  came  to  Oregon  in  1834,  he  and  his 
party  drove  a  number  of  cows  and  horses  as  far  as 
Walla  Walla.  These  were  the  first  cattle  brought  across 
the  Rocky  JMountains.  He  exchanged  them  with  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company  at  Walla  Walla,  the  understand- 
ing being  that  the  same  number  should  be  returned  to 
him  when  he  should  establish  his  mission  in  the  Wil- 
lamette Valley,  or  elsewhere  west  of  the  Cascade  Moun- 
tains. 

Accordingly,  Dr.  McLoughlin,  at  Vancouver,  supplied 
Mr.  Lee  with  eight  cows,  and  sent  his  men  to  assist  in 
driving  them  to  the  mission  station  near  Salem ;  these 
were  the  first  cattle  and  horses  owned  and  used  in  the 
American  settlement  in  Oregon. 

But  this  provision  met  the  demand  of  the  case  for 
a  short  period  only.  Within  two  years  thereafter  they 
desired  to  enlarge  their  herd.  The  prairies  of  the  Wil- 
lamette Valley,  embracing  an  area  of  many  thousands 
of  acres,  were  covered  with  natural  grasses.  Cattle  and 
horses  relished  it  and  soon  became  sleek  and  fat  from 
eating  it.  As  a  food  for  stock  it  was  of  much  greater 
value  than  any  of  the  domestic  grasses  of  the  present 
day. 

These  native  grasses  have  disappeared  ;  like  the  wolves 
and  the  foxes,  they  could  not  stand  the  effect  of  civili- 
zation. 

Facts  that  Indicati;  the  Great  Influence:  oe  Jason 

Lee  in  Laying  the  Foundations  oe  Empire 

Oregon. 

Prominent  among  the  many  incidents  that  pointed  to 
the  mission  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  as  the 
center  of  American  influence  in  Oregon,  and  to  Jason 
4 


50  The  Conquerors 

Lee  as  its  representative,  is  the  case  of  Mr.  William  A. 
Slacum,  just  referred  to. 

He  came  up  the  coast  in  the  brig  Loriot.  The  vessel 
anchored  at  the  mouth  of  the  Willamette.  He  spent 
most  of  his  time  at  the  mission.  He  called  on  the  people, 
took  notes  of  their  number  and  of  the  products  of  their 
lands  and  of  the  conditions  that  prevailed.  He  did  all 
he  could  to  encourage  the  settlers  and  to  strengthen 
American  sentiment  in  the  country. 

Mr.  Lee  accompanied  him  and  assisted  him  in  mak- 
ing the  investigation  that  had  occasioned  his  visit,  and 
placed  in  his  hand  a  petition  with  a  request  from  the 
mission  settlement,  urging  that  the  Government  of  the 
United  States  extend  protection  over  them.  On  the  oc- 
casion of  their  last  interview,  he  gave  Mr.  Lee  a  letter, 
from  which  we  give  a  brief  extract : 

American  Brig  Loriot,  off  the;  Willamette, 

January  i8,  1837. 
Rev.  Jason  Lee. 

My  Dear  Sir, — It  was  indeed  a  cause  of  regret  that  I 
could  continue  no  longer  at  your  mission  on  the  banks  of  the 
Willamette,  for  the  visit  was  to  me  one  of  exceedingly  great 
interest.    .    .    . 

As  evidence  of  my  good-will  toward  the  laudable  efforts  you 
are  making  in  this  remote  quarter,  debarred  of  almost  every 
comfort,  deprived  of  the  association  of  kindred  and  home,  I 
beg  you  to  accept  herewith  the  sum  of  fifty  dollars,  only  re- 
gretting that  my  means  at  present  will  not  allow  me  to  add 
more.  I  pray  you  to  accept  my  assurance  of  unfeigned  regard. 
Your  friend  and  obedient  servant, 

Wm.  a.  Slacum,  U.  S.  N. 

Upon  his  return  to  Washington  he  made  an  exhaustive 
report.  He  also  presented  the  memorial  or  petition  en- 
trusted to  his  care,  and  urged  attention  to  the  request 
embraced  in  it. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       51 

The  objective  point  in  Mr.  Slacum's  official  journey 
was  the  Methodist  Mission  in  Oregon,  and  the  man  with 
whom  he  was  to  communicate  was  Jason  Lee ;  and  the 
purpose  of  the  Government  in  sending  him  to  the  Pacific 
coast  was  to  ascertain  the  conditions  that  prevailed  in 
the  missionary  colony.  This  action  was  a  recognition 
of  the  fact  that  this  American  settlement  was  the  basis 
and  controlling  factor  in  establishing  and  maintaining 
the  American  claim  to  the  ownership  of  the  Oregon 
country. 

Note  the  following  facts: 

1st,  Mr.  Slacum  came  direct  to  the  missionary  settle- 
ment. 

2d.  He  made  examinations  in  line  with  his  instruc- 
tions. 

3d.  He  conferred  with  Jason  Lee. 

4th.  He  gave  valuable  assistance  in  securing  cattle 
for  the  mission,  and  immediately  thereafter  left  for  Wash- 
ington. 

5th.  That  this,  and  this  only,  was  the  object  of  his 
coming  is  clearly  indicated  in  his  report  to  the  Govern- 
ment, extracts  from  which  may  be  found  elsewhere  in 
these  pages. 

6th.  The  facts  in  the  case  show  that  upon  the  growth 
of  the  settlement  and  the  success  of  the  colonization 
features  of  the  mission  work  hinged  the  American  solu- 
tion of  the  Oregon  question. 

Dr.  John  IMcLoughlin  often  gave  expression  to  his 
esteem  for  Mr.  Lee  and  appreciation  for  his  work,  as 
the  following  note  will  indicate : 

Fort  Vancouver,  March   i,   1836. 
Rev.  Jason  Lee. 

Dear  Sir, — I  do  myself  the  pleasure  to  hand  you  the  en- 
closed   subscription,   which    the    gentlemen    who    have    signed    it 


52  The  Conquerors 

request  you  will  do  them  the  favor  to  accept  for  the  benefit  of  the 
mission.  And  they  pray  our  Heavenly  Father,  without  whose 
assistance  we  can  do  notliing,  that  of  His  infinite  mercy  He  will 
bless  and  prosper  your  pious  endeavors,  and  believe  me  to  be, 
with  esteem  and  regard,  your  sincere  well-wisher  and  humble 
servant,  John  McLoughlin. 

The  amount  enclosed  was  $150, 

Another  incident  that  indicated  the  confidence  reposed 
in  Jason  Lee  by  all  classes  of  men  was  the  case  of  Capt. 
T,  McKay,  a  prominent  leader  among  the  mountaineer 
trappers  and  traders  of  that  period. 

Mr.  lyce  accompanied  him  and  his  men  from  Fort 
Hall  to  the  coast  in  1834.  They  became  personal  friends. 
Mr.  Lee  visited  him  at  his  home  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Willamette  River,  below  the  point  now  occupied  by  the 
city  of  Portland. 

When  Mr.  Lee  went  East  in  1838,  at  the  request  of 
Captain  McKay,  he  took  three  of  the  captain's  sons  with 
him  and  placed  them  in  school  at  Wilbraham,  Mass., 
where  he  (Mr.  Lee)  had  been  educated. 

Mr.  Lee  secured  the  consent  of  the  Missionary  So- 
ciety of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  to  pay  the  bills 
for  the  education  of  the  boys,  and  became  personally 
responsible  in  behalf  of  Mr.  ]\IcKay  for  the  return  of 
the  money  at  a  subsequent  period. 

Most  of  the  meetings  held  for  the  purpose  of  inaugu- 
rating plans  for  strengthening  the  American  colony ; 
the  formation  of  the  cattle  company  herein  referred  to, 
and  action  looking  to  the  enlargement  of  the  settlement 
and  increasing  its  facilities  for  the  maintenance  of  a 
healthful  existence,  were  held  under  the  personal  super- 
vision of  Jason  Lee,  and  for  the  most  part  at  the  Mission 
House  or  at  his  residence. 

Another  event  that  taught  the  same  lesson  was  this : 

Two  men,  Messrs.  Young  and  Carmichael,  were  about 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       53 

to  bej^^in  the  manufacture  of  ardent  spirits.  They  had 
purcliased  the  machinery,  made  all  the  necessary  arrange- 
ments, and  were  going  forward  with  the  work  of  estab- 
lishing their  plant.    To  have  done  this  would  have  meant : 

1st.  The  destruction  of  the  mission  and  the  probable 
death  of  the  missionaries. 

2d.  Ruin  and  death  swift  and  certain  to  the  Indians. 

3d.  The  closing  of  the  mission  would  not  only  have 
destroyed  the  work  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  Oregon,  but  it  w^ould  have  extinguished  the  only  pos- 
sible opportunity,  so  far  as  the  conditions  that  then 
prevailed  were  concerned,  of  bringing  this  Pacific  coast 
country  under  American  control  and  saving  it  from  the 
dominance  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company. 

Mr.  Lee  and  his  helpers  threw  themselves,  with  all 
the  energy  and  enthusiasm  of  which  they  were  capable, 
into  the  effort  to  break  up  this  distillery. 

They  waited  upon  the  two  would-be  business  men  of 
that  day.  The  men  stated  that,  being  Americans,  they 
desired  to  free  themselves  from  the  dominance  of  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company  and  that  this  was  one  of  the  ways 
by  which  the  Americans  could  assert  their  independence 
and  throw  off  the  control  of  the  foreign  company. 

Mr.  Lee  reminded  them  that  their  action  was  con- 
trary to  the  laws  of  the  United  States;  that  the  lives 
of  the  people  would  be  endangered  thereby ;  that  peace 
and  order  would  be  impossible  under  the  conditions  that 
would  prevail ;  that  riot,  ruin,  and  death  would  come  to 
the  Indians  and  the  American  community  that  the  mis- 
sionaries were  seeking  to  establish,  and  that  their  action 
was  the  surest  and  most  effective  method  that  it  was 
possible  to  adopt  to  make  the  dominance  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company  in  Oregon  certain  and  perpetual. 

Mr.  Lee  promised  to  give  them  the  amount  they  had 


54s  The  Conquerors 

paid.  They  abandoned  the  business  altogether,  however, 
and  refused  to  accept  any  return  for  the  money  expended. 

It  is  perhaps  true  that  there  was  no  one  in  the  country 
at  that  time  whose  efforts  and  influence  could  have 
averted  this  threatened  danger  except  Jason  Lee. 

The  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal  of  June  9,  1837, 
contains  a  letter  from  Mr.  P.  L.  Edwards,  in  which  he 
gives  a  very  interesting  account  of  this  temperance  move- 
ment. 

A  letter  from  Dr.  Elijah  White  is  published  in  issue 
of  July  7,  1837,  of  the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal. 
A  brief  excerpt  must  suffice :  ".  .  .  The  plan  of  op- 
eration adopted  by  Mr.  Lee  is  here  universally  consid- 
ered to  be  founded  in  wisdom,  and  they  think  can  not 
fail  to  result  in  affecting  a  greater  amount  of  good  than 
any  other  could  have  done.     .     .     ."^ 

The  following  paragraphs  are  from  a  letter  written 
by  Jason  Lee  to  the  corresponding  secretary  of  the  Mis- 
sionary Society: 

OREGON  MISSION. 
Rev.  and  Dear  Sir: 

My  last  was  dated  January,  1837,  and  forwarded  by  William 
A.  Slacum,  Esq.,  of  the  United  States  Navy,  and  Government 
agent  sent  to  examine  this  mission  settlement.  .  .  .  Thank 
God,  I  do  not  wish  to  exchange  my  field  of  labor  for  any  other 
upon  the  face  of  the  earth !  Hither  I  firmly  believe  God  has 
directed  my  steps.     .     .     . 

At  the  special  request  of  Dr.  McLoughlin,  I  am  about  to 
send  him  a  note  of  introduction  to  you.  Would  it  not  be  well 
to  present  him  with  a  certificate  of  life  membership  in  our 
Missionary  Society? 


'■i  The  masterful  influence  of  Jason  Lee  in  securing  American  control  in  the 
Pacific  Coast  Country  is  seen  in  the  mighty  volume  of  popular  favor  with  which 
his  plea  in  behalf  of  Oregon  was  received  by  the  American  people. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       55 

We  have  been  obliged  to  draw  frequently  upon  him  for 
medicine,  for  which  he  refuses  to  take  any  remuneration.     .     .     . 

I  mentioned  in  my  last  that  I  was  fully  convinced  that  this 
country  would  be  settled  at  no  distant  period.    .    .    . 

^;^!'^~^ — s2— *'— •'-^^  tSX^— <—<*-. 

Mission  House,    Willamette,  March   28,    1837. 

Marriage,  Baptism,  and  Organization  of  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  Oregon. 

Sunday,  July  16,  1837,  was  an  epoch-making  day 
in  the  history  of  the  mission  and  of  Oregon.  The  mis- 
sionaries, with  their  famiUes  and  a  few  others,  together 
with  a  goodly  number  of  Indians,  met  in  a  grove  on 
the  mission  grounds  in  the  Willamette  Valley  for  public 
worship.  Jason  Lee  announced  the  hymn,  "When  all 
Thy  mercies,  O  my  God,  my  rising  soul  surveys,"  etc ; 
after  singing,  he  led  in  prayer,  following  which  he  led 
Miss  Anna  M.  Pittman  to  the  altar,  and  they  were  mar- 
ried by  Rev.  Daniel  Lee.  Cyrus  Shepard  then  led  Miss 
Susan  Downing  forward,  and  they  were  married  by 
Jason  Lee,  after  which,  Charles  Row  and  Miss  Nancy, 
an  Indian  maiden,  were  married. 

Jason  Lee  preached  from  Numbers  x,  29,  "Come  tliou 
with  us  and  we  will  do  thee  good,  for  the  Lord  hath 
spoken  good  concerning  Israel."  The  sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  was  then  administered.  These  acts  were 
the  first  of  their  kind  in  Oregon. 

The  exercises  closed  with  a  love-feast ;  and,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  testimony  given  by  every  member  of  the 
Methodist  Church  present,  several  of  the  French  Canad- 
ians  (Catholics)    spoke,   and  penitently  expressed  their 


56  The  Conquerors 

intention  to  turn  away  from  their  sins  and  live  Ciiristian 
lives. 

Mr.  Lee  said  of  this  service,  "I  have  seldom  known 
the  presence  of  the  Lord  to  be  more  sensibly  and  power- 
fully manifested." 

Dr.  H.  K.  Hines  says: 

Around  the  outskirts  of  the  audience  were  the  Indian  men 
and  the  daughters  of  the  forest,  with  scarlet  shawls  about  their 
shoulders,  and  with  beaded  leggings  and  moccasins.  The 
Canadian  Frenchmen  of  the  settlement,  with  their  Indian  wives 
and  half-caste  children,  in  decent  attire,  occupied  seats  with  the 
Americans.  The  children  of  the  Mission  School  were  there,  and 
seven  men  and  five  women  from  the  Mission  House;  also  a  few 
white  men  who  some  chance  day  had  strayed  over  the  mountains, 
or  floated  in  from  the  sea,  prompted  by  curiosity  or  led  by  the 
Good  Spirit,  found  their  way  to  the  shaded  sanctuary.  Few  such 
congregations  were  ever  gathered.  All  were  greatly  moved ;  even 
the  furrowed  cheeks  of  the  old  mountaineers  were  bathed  in 
tears.  Among  those  who  were  baptized  and  united  with  the 
Church  at  this  time  were  Mr.  Charles  Row  and  Mr.  Webley 
Hauxhurst,  of  Long  Island,  N.  Y.  The  former  came  to  the 
mission  settlement  January  i,  1837;  it  was  the  evening  of  the 
prayer  and  class  meeting.  He  was  invited  to  be  present.  In  a 
letter  dated  January  13,  1837,  he  expressed  his  convictions  thus: 
"I  am  thankful  that  my  business  led  me  week  before  last  to 
your  house.  I  learned  more  in  that  week  than  in  thirty-one 
years  before.  When  I  saw  the  Indian  children  praying  and  wor- 
shiping God,  I  thought  it  was  high  time  for  me,  who  had  lived 
so  long  in  sin  without  once  praying  for  my  own  soul  ,  .  . 
In  your  class  meeting  I  felt  like  a  person  lost  forever.  .  .  ." 
Mr.  Daniel  Lee  says :  "He  was  truly  alive  to  his  danger.  We 
pointed  him  to  Jesus,  and  ere  long  he  found  peace  to  his 
troubled  soul."  So  far  as  known,  he  was  the  first  white  person 
converted  in  the  Oregon  country.  He  settled  near  Salem,  and 
was  trustee  of  the  Oregon  Institute  and  afterward  of  the  Wil- 
lamette University.  For  fifty  years  he  lived  a  devoted  Christian 
life  and  then  went  up  to  join  the  innumerable  company  of  the 
first-born   in   heaven. 

The  eulogies  we  pay  to  the  old  apostlcship  who  carried  the 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       57 

Gospel  into  Macedonia  are  but  the  just  tribute  we  should  give 
to  those  who  planted  the  Gospel   in  Oregon. 

From  the  American  viewpoint  they  were  the  prelude 
to  the  better  conditions  that  would  follow  them.  As  the 
Woodmen  of  Oregon  would  say,  they  blazed  the  way  for 
the  enlargement  of  tlie  scope,  numbers,  and  inllucnce  of 
the  mission,  as  indicated  in  the  facts  given  in  the  next 
chapter. 


CHAPTER  III 
Going  East  and  What  Came  of  It 

That  Mr.  Lee  recognized  the  great  importance  of 
making  this  journey,  and  the  necessity  for  the  immediate 
enlargement  of  his  mission  settlement;  that  his  purposes 
and  plans  respecting  it  and  the  work  associated  with  it, 
were  thoroughly  outlined  in  his  own  mind  before  he 
entered  upon  their  execution,  is  evident  from  the  facts 
touching  the  case,  and  it  is  also  evident  in  the  known 
character  of  Mr.  Lee  for  care  and  sagacity  in  all  his 
undertakings.  It  required  a  mighty  faith,  great  self- 
denial,  and  an  unusual  completeness  of  personal  conse- 
cration to  God  and  His  service,  to  make  the  journey 
and   enter  upon  the   work   contemplated   in  making  it. 

Dr.  H.  K.  Hines  says:  "When  it  was  determined 
that  Mr.  Lee  should  visit  the  Atlantic  coast  in  the  in- 
terest of  his  work,  his  wife  said:  'I  will  not  put  myself 
in  the  way  of  the  performance  of  your  duty.  If  you  feel 
that  you  should  go,  go;  for  I  did  not  marry  you  to 
hinder  but,  rather,  to  aid  you  in  your  work.'  Under  the 
circumstances,  braver  words  were  never  uttered." 

Mrs.  Lee  was  a  woman  of  fine  literary  attainments, 
as  well  as  great  natural  ability  and  Christian  devotion. 
She  had  a  special  taste  for  poetry.  Of  the  noble  women 
who  came  to  Oregon  before  1840,  she  was  among  the 
first  in  literary  and  spiritual  attainments.  Just  before 
Mr.  Lee  left  home  on  the  morning  of  the  25th  of  March, 
she  put  into  his  hands  the  following  lines,  tenderly  ex- 

58 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Countr?/       59 

pressive  of  her  love  and  devotion  to  God,  to  her  hus- 
band, and  to  the  missionary  work  in  Oregon  to  which 
she  had  consecrated  her  hfe  : 

Must  my  dear  companion  leave  me, 

Sad  and  lonely  here  to  dwell? 
If  't  is  duty  thus  that  calls  thee, 

Shall  I  keep  thee?  No— farewell. 
Though  my  heart  aches 

As  I  bid  thee  thus  farewell. 

Go,  then ;  leave  me ;  God  go  with  thee 

To  protect  and  save  from  harm; 
Though  thou  dost  remove  far  from  me, 

Thou  art  safe  beneath  His  arm. 
Go  in  peace,  then  ; 

Let  thy  soul  feel  no  alarm. 

Go ;  thy  Savior  will  go  with  thee. 

All  thy  footsteps  to  attend; 
Though  you  may  feel  anxious  for  me, 

Thine  and  mine  He  will  defend. 
Fear  not,  husband ; 

God,  thy  Father,  is  our  Friend. 

Go  and  seek  for  fellow-laborers; 

Tell  them  that  the  field  is  white. 
God  will  show  them  gracious  favor 

While  they  teach  the  sons  of  night. 
Bid  them  hasten 

Here  to  bring  the  Gospel  light. 

Though  thy  journey  may  seem  dreary 
While  removed  from  her  you  love, 

Though  you  often  may  be  weary. 
Look  for  comfort  from  above. 

God  will  bless  you. 

And  your  journey  prosperous  prove. 

Farewell,  husband ;  while  you  leave  me, 
Tears  of  sorrow  oft  will  flow ; 


60  The  Conquerors 

Day  and  night  I  will  pray  for  you, 
While  through  dangers  you  may  go. 

O,  remember 
Her  who  loves  you  much.    Adieu. 

Anna  M.   LEE. 

While  on  his  way  across  the  continent,  Mrs.  Lee  died. 
She  with  her  infant  son,  but  a  few  days  old,  were  buried 
together  in  Lee  Mission  cemetery,  near  Salein,  Oregon. 
A  marble  slab,  marked  by  the  storms  of  more  than  sixty 
years,  stands  at  the  head  of  the  grave,  on  which  is  chiseled 
this  inscription : 

Beneath  this  sod, 

The  first  ever  broken  in  Oregon 

For  the  reception  of  a 

White   mother    and    child. 

Lie  the  remains  of 

Anna  Maria  Pittman, 

Wife  of 

Rev.  Jason  Lee, 

And  her  infant  son. 

She  sailed  from  New  York  in  July,  1836; 

Landed  in  Oregon  June,  1837 ; 

Was  married  July  16,  1837; 

And  died 

June  26,   1838, 

Aged    36    years. 

Mrs.  I^ee  was  the  first  American  woman  to  be  married 
west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  she  was  the  first 
American  wife  and  American  mother  to  find  sepulcher  in 
Oregon. 

Dr.  H.  K.  Hines  says: 

Mr.  Lee  reached  the  Shawnee  Mission,  near  Wcstport,  Mo., 
September  i,  1838.  This  was  a  mission  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  among  the  Indians,  and  was  established  in  1829. 
Rev.  Thomas  Johnson  was  ihc  agent  or  superintendent. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Countrij       (il 

Late  at  night,  after  Mr.  Lee  had  retired,  a  messenger  arrived 
and  placed  in  his  hand  a  package  of  letters.  They  were  from 
Oregon,  and  one  of  them  bore  a  black  seal.  He  opened  it  and 
learned  that  his  wife  and  infant  son  were  dead.  To  him  the 
m'ght  was  sleepless.  In  its  darkness  and  loneliness  his  great 
soul  wrestled  with  self,  with  sorrow,  and  with  God.  In  tiie 
morning  his  brow  had  a  deeper  shade,  and  his  eyes  told  a  tale 
of  weeping;  but  his  calmed  spirit  breathed  out  its  wealth  of 
trust  and  lofty   faith  in  God. 

An  Important  Memorial. 

Previous  to  starting  upon  his  perilous  journe}'  east- 
ward, the  people  composing  the  mission  and  others  met 
and  formulated  a  second  memorial  to  Congress.  Its 
description  of  the  country ;  its  needs  and  possibilities ; 
the  conditions  that  prevailed,  together  with  the  sugges- 
tions it  contained,  were  timely,  patriotic,  and  wise,  and 
had  in  them  the  ring  of  true  statesmanship.  It  is  one 
of  the  most  important  State  papers  ever  presented  to 
Congress  from  this  coast.  As  seen  in  the  light  of  the 
present,  its  stateinents  arc  especially  noteworthy  and 
prophetic.  We  give  herewith  a  large  part  of  this  im- 
mortal document.  It  is  worthy  of  careful  perusal.  It 
was  written  by  Jason  Lee;  P.  L.  Edwards  and  David 
Leslie  assisted  in  its  preparation.    It  was  addressed : 

To  the  Honorable,  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of 

the  United  States  of  America: 

The  undersigned  settlers  of  the  Columbia  River  beg  leave 
to  represent  to  your  honorable  body  that  the  settlement  begun 
in  1834  has  hitherto  prospered  beyond  the  most  sanguine  ex- 
pectations of  its  projectors.  The  products  of  our  fields  have 
amply  justified  the  most  flattering  description  of  the  fertility  of 
the  soil,  while  the  facilities  which  it  affords  for  raising  cattle 
are,  perhaps,  exceeded  by  those  of  no  country  in  North  America. 

The  people  of  the  United  States,  we  believe,  are  not  gen- 
erally apprised  of  the  extent  of  valuable  country  west  of  the 
Rocky  ]\lountains.     A  large  portion  of   the  territory   from   the 


62  The  Conquerors 

Columbia  River  south  to  the  boundary  line  between  the  United 
States  and  the  Mexican  Republic,  and  extending  from  the  coast 
of  the  Pacific  for  about  250  or  300  miles  into  the  interior,  is 
either  well  supplied  with  timber  or  adapted  to  pasturage  or 
agriculture.  The  fertile  valleys  of  the  Willamette  and  the 
Umpqua  are  varied  with  prairies  and  woodlands,  and  intersected 
by  abundant  lateral  streams,  presenting  facilities  for  machinery. 
Perhaps  no  country  of  the  same  latitude  is  found  with  the 
climate  so  mild;  the  winter  rains,  it  is  true,  are  an  objection, 
but  they  are  generally  preferred  to  the  snows  and  the  intense 
cold  which  prevailed  in  the  northern  parts  of  the  United  States. 

The  ground  is  seldom  covered  with  snow,  nor  does  it 
remain  but  a  few  hours. 

We  need  hardly  allude  to  the  commercial  advantages  of 
the  territory.  Its  happy  position  for  trade  with  China,  India, 
and  the  western  coast  of  America  will  be  readily  recognized. 
The  growing  importance,  however,  of  the  islands  of  the  Pacific 
is  not  so  generally  known  or  appreciated. 

As  these  islands  progress  in  civilization,  their  demand  for 
the  produce  of  more  northern  climates  will  increase.  Nor  can 
any  country  supply  them  with  beef,  flour,  etc.,  on  terms  so 
advantageous  as  these.  A  very  successful  effort  has  recently 
been  made  at  the  Sandwich  Islands  in  the  cultivation  of  coffee 
and  sugar  cane.  A  colony  here  can  easily  secure  these  articles 
and  other  tropical  products  in  exchange  for  the  products  of  their 
own  labor.  We  have  briefly  alluded  to  the  natural  resources  of 
the  country,  and  to  its  external  relations.  They  are,  in  our 
opinion,  strong  inducements  for  the  Government  of  the  United 
States  to  take  formal  and  speedy  possession.  We  urge  this  step 
as  promising  to  the  general  interests  of  the  Nation.  The  ad- 
vantages it  may  confer  upon  us  and  the  evils  it  may  avert  from 
our  posterity  are  incalculable. 

Our  special  intercourse  has  thus  far  been  associated  with 
reference  to  a  feeling  of  dependence  upon  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company.  Under  this  state  of  things  we  have  thus  far  pros- 
pered, but  we  can  not  hope  that  it  will  continue.  The  agri- 
cultural and  other  resources  of  the  country  can  not  fail  to  induce 
emigration  and  commerce. 

As  our  settlement  begins  to  draw  its  supplies  from  other 
channels,  the  feeling  of  dependence  upon  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany will  begin  to  diminish.     We  arc  anxious  when  we  imagine 


Settlement  of  the  Orei^on  Country       03 

what  will  be,  what  must  be,  the  condition  of  so  mixed  a  com- 
nninity,  free  from  all  legal  restraint,  and  superior  to  that  moral 
influence  which  has  hitherto  been  the  pledge  of  our  safety. 

Our  interests  are  identical  with  those  of  the  country  of 
our  adoption.  We  flatter  ourselves  that  we  are  the  germ  of  a 
great  State,  and  are  anxious  to  give  an  early  tone  to  the  moral 
and  intellectual  character  of  its  citizens.  We  are  fully  aware, 
too,  that  the  destinies  of  our  posterity  will  be  intimately  affected 
by  the  character  of  those  who  emigrate  to  this  country.  The 
territory  will  be  populated.  The  Congress  of  the  United  States 
must  say  by  whom.  The  natural  resources  of  the  country,  with 
a  well  adjudged  civil  code,  will  invite  a  good  community.  But 
a  good  community  will  hardly  emigrate  to  a  country  which 
promises  no  protection  to  life  and  property.  Inquiries  have 
already  been  submitted  to  us  for  information  of  the  country. 
In  return  we  can  only  speak  of  a  country  highly  favored  by 
nature.    We  can  boast  of  no  civil  code. 

We  can  promise  no  protection  but  the  ultimate  result  of 
self-defense.  By  whom,  then,  shall  our  country  be  populated? 
By  the  reckless  and  unprincipled  adventurer,  and  not  by  the 
hardy  and  enterprising  pioneer  of  the  West.  By  the  Botnay 
Bay  refugee;  by  the  renegade  of  civilization  from  the  Rocky 
!Mountains ;  by  the  profligate  deserted  seamen  from  Polynesia, 
and  the  unprincipled  sharpers  from  South  America. 

We  are  assured  that  it  will  cost  the  Government  of  the 
United  States  more  to  reduce  elements  of  discord  to  social 
order  than  to  promote  our  permanent  peace  and  prosperity  by 
a  timely  action  of  Congress.  Nor  can  we  suppose  that  so 
vicious  a  population  could  be  relied  upon  in  case  of  rupture 
between  the  United   States   and   any  other  power. 

Our  intercourse  with  the  natives,  guided  by  the  same  in- 
fluence which  has  promoted  harmony  among  ourselves,  has  been 
generally  pacific,  but  the  same  causes  which  will  interrupt 
harmony  among  ourselves  will  also  interrupt  our  friendly  rela- 
tions with  the  natives. 

It  is,  therefore,  of  primary  importance,  both  to  them  and 
ourselves,  that  the  Government  should  take  prompt  and  ener- 
getic measures  to  secure  the  execution  of  all  laws  affecting 
Indian  trade  and  intercourse  with  the  white  men  and  Indians. 

We  have  thus  briefly  shown  that  the  security  of  our  persons 


64  The  Conquerors 

and  our  property,  the  hopes  and  the  destinies  of  our  children,  are 
involved  in  the  objects  of  our  petition. 

We  do  not  presume  to  suggest  the  manner  in  which  the 
country  should  be  occupied  by  the  Government,  nor  the  extent 
to  which  our  settlement  should  be  encouraged.  We  confide 
in  the  wisdom  of  our  National  Legislators,  and  leave  the  sub- 
ject to  their  candid  deliberations,  and  your  petitioners  will 
ever  pray.  J.  L.  Whitcomb,  and  Thirty  Others. 

A  few  of  Dr.  H.  K.  Hines's  observations  about  this 
important  document  are  as  follows : 

This  memorial  was  safely  taken  to  its  destination  by  Mr. 
Lee  and  presented  to  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  by  Senator 
Linn,  of  Missouri,  January  28,   1839. 

Within  ten  days  Mr.  Linn  presented  a  bill  establishing  a 
territory  north  of  latitude  42  and  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains 
to  be  called  "Oregon  Territory,"  authorizing  the  erection  of  a 
fort  on  the  Columbia  River,  and  the  occupation  of  the  country 
by  the  military  forces  of  the  United  States,  establishing  a  port 
of  entry,  and  requiring  that  the  country  should  be  held  subject 
to  the  revenue  laws  of  the  United  States,  with  an  appropriation 
of  $50,000  for  the  beginning  of  the  work. 

This  action,  led  by  the  missionaries  of  the  IMethodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  and  wholly  dependent  on  their  influence  for  its 
effect  on  Congress  and  the  public  mind,  occurred  when  there 
were  only  two  male  missionaries  of  the  American  Board  west 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  namely,  Dr.  Marcus  Whitman  and  Rev. 
II.  H.  Spalding.  They  were  two  hundred  miles  in  the  interior 
and  entirely  removed  from  what  little  American  sentiment  and 
settlement  there  was  in  the  country. 

The  Roman  Catholic  missionaries  had  not  yet  reached 
Oregon. 

No  more  important  and  eminent  milestone  was  ever  set 
in  Oregon  history  than  was  set  in  this  memorial ;  its  second 
paragraph,  that  relating  to  trade  with  China,  India,  and  the 
islands  of  the  Pacific,  would  seem  to  have  been  written  under 
prophetic  inspiration  in  1838  and  found  its  literal  and  wonder- 
ful  fulfillment  in  1899. 

Surely  there  was  a  marvelous  prescience  in  the  minds  that 
conceived  this   masterful   memorial. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       65 

Upon  reaching  the  Atlantic  coast,  Mr.  Lee  went  direct 
to  Washington  and  placed  this  memorial  in  the  hands  of 
the  Committee  on  Foreign  Affairs,  of  which  Hon.  Caleb 
Cushing  was  chairman.  He  then  visited  New  York  and 
other  points  in  the  interest  of  his  mission  work.  Fearing 
lest  his  efforts  in  behalf  of  Oregon  might  not  receive 
prompt  attention  on  the  part  of  the  officers  of  the  Gov- 
ernment, and  having  in  the  meantime  received  a  letter 
of  inquiry  from  Mr.  Cushing,  he  wrote  from  Middle- 
town,  Conn.,  under  date  of  January  17,  1839.  We  give 
a  part  of  this  important  letter : 

It  is  believed  that  if  the  Government  of  the  United  States 
takes  such  measures  in  respect  to  this  territory  as  will  secure 
the  rights  of  the  settlers,  most  of  those  who  are  now  attached 
to  the  mission  will  remain  as  permanent  settlers  in  the  country, 
after  the  mission  may  no  longer  need  their  services.  Hence  it 
may  be  safely  assumed  that  ours,  in  connection  with  other 
settlers  there,  is  the  commencement  of  a  permanent  settlement 
of  the  country. 

In  view  of  this,  it  will  be  readily  seen  that  we  need  two 
things  at  the  hands  of  the  Government  for  our  protection  and 
prosperity. 

First:  We  need  a  guarantee  from  the  Government  that 
the  possession  of  the  land  we  take  up  and  the  improvements 
we  make  upon  it  will  be  assured  to  us.  The  settlements  will 
greatly  increase  the  value  of  the  Government  domain  in  that 
country,  should  the  Indian  title  ever  be  extinguished.  Wc  can 
not  but  expect,  therefore,  that  those  who  have  been  pioneers  in 
this  arduous  work  will  be  liberally  dealt  with   in   this   matter. 

Second:  We  need  the  authority  and  protection  of  the 
Government  and  laws  of  the  United  States  to  regulate  the 
intercourse  of  the  settlers  with  each  other,  protect  them  against 
the  peculations  and  aggressions  of  the  Indians,  and  to  protect 
the  Indians  against  the  aggressions  of  the  white  men. 

To  secure  these  objects,  it  is  not  supposed  that  much  of  a 
military  force  is  necessary.  If  a  suitable  person  should  be  sent 
out  as  a  magistrate  and  governor  of  the  territory,  the  settlers 
would  sustain  his  authority.     In  proof  of  this,  it  is  only  neces- 

5 


66  The  Conquerors 

sary  to  say  that  almost  all  the  settlers  in  the  Willamette  Valley 
have  signed  a  memorial  to  Congress,  praying  that  body  to  extend 
the  protection  of  the  United  States  Government  over  the  ter- 
ritory. You  are  aware,  sir,  that  there  is  no  law  in  that  country 
to  protect  or  control  American  citizens,  and  to  whom  shall  we 
look,  to  whom  can  we  look,  for  the  establishment  of  wholesome 
laws  to  regulate  our  infant  and  rising  settlements,  but  to  the 
Congress   of   our  beloved   country? 

The  country  will  be  settled,  and  that  speedily,  from  some 
quarter,  and  it  depends  very  much  on  the  prompt  action  of 
Congress  what  that  population  shall  be,  and  what  shall  be  the 
fate  of  the  Indian  tribes  of  that  territory.  It  may  be  thought 
that  Oregon  is  of  little  importance;  but  rely  upon  it,  there  is 
the  germ  of  a  great  State.  We  are  resolved  to  do  what  we 
can  to  benefit  the  country,  but  we  are  constrained  to  throw 
ourselves  upon  you  for  protection. 

I  am,  sir,  with  great  respect. 


Hon.  Caleb  Cushing. 


Copies  of  the  memorial  and  the  letter  herein  referred 
to,  together  with  other  references  to  Jason  Lee  and  the 
mission  in  the  Willamette  Valley,  are  found  in  the  Con- 
gressional Records  of  tliat  period. 

That  Mr.  Lee's  interviews  with  the  President  and 
with  other  officers  of  the  LTnited  States  Government  in 
1834  and  1838,  together  with  the  letters  and  documents 
he  had  presented,  were  not  in  vain ;  that  his  eloquent 
pleadings  in  behalf  of  the  Pacific  coast  country  accom- 
plished its  purpose  is  evidenced  in  the  fact  that  this 
memorial  was  acted  upon  immediately,  and  a  bill  for  the 
formation  of  the  territory  was  brought  forward  without 
delay.  Dr.  H.  K.  Hines  says:  "Such  was  the  impres- 
sion made  by  Mr.  Lee  upon  the  Congress,  the  President 
and  his  Cabinet,  and  such  the  estimate  they  placed  upon 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Countrij       07 

the  expedition  he  was  organizing  as  an  instrument  in 
Americanizing  the  Pacific  coast,  that  the  Government, 
out  of  the  Secret  Service  fund,  assisted  in  its  outfit." 
Referring  to  the  grant  of  $475,000  made  by  Congress 
in  belialf  of  the  Lewis  and  Clark  Exposition  at  Port- 
land, the  Pacific  Christian  Advocate,  in  its  issue  of  April 
20,   1904,  says: 

This  is  not  the  first  time  that  the  Government  has  granted 
aid  to  Oregon  by  special  donation.  In  1839  the  sum  of  $5,000 
was  given  to  the  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  to  aid  in  sending  a  shipload  of  Methodists  to  Oregon. 
This  use  of  the  public  funds  was  justified  on  the  ground  that 
the  Methodist  Church  was  laying  the  foundations  of  State. 
It  should  not  be  forgotten  that  the  sailing  of  the  Lausanne 
with  a  shipload  of  Methodist  missionaries  on  board  was  in  the 
nature  of  a  colonization  scheme,  and  that  for  a  decade — from 
1834  to  1844 — the  story  of  Oregon  was  mainly  the  story  of 
the  Methodist  mission. 

Oregon,  Washington,  Idaho,  and  a  part  of  Montana  are 
in  a  sense  gifts  to  the  Republic  by  the  Missionary  Society  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  That  society  pioneered  the 
peopling  of  the  territory  with  American  settlers.  History  re- 
cords to  the  honor  of  our  Church  that  Jason  Lee  and  his  co- 
laborers  were  first  on  the  ground,  and  that  the  missionary 
centers  they  established  became  the  centers  of  American  senti- 
ment and  settlement,  and  their  efforts  in  securing  American 
protection  and  statehood  were  crowned  with  success. 

ARRIVAL  OF  REV.  JASON  LEE. 

On  the  morning  of  the  31st  ult.,  Mr.  Lee  arrived,  after 
a  tedious  passage  over  land  of  seven  months,  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  accompanied  by  three  Indian  youths.    ,    .    . 

The  object  of  Mr.  Lee's  visit  among  us  at  this  time  is 
to  mature  plans  for  the  enlargement  and  more  energetic  prose- 
cution of  the  important  mission  he  has  so  successfully  begun, 
and  conducted  at  the  expense  of  so  much  labor  and  sacrifice. — 
From  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal,  November  9,  1838. 


68  The  Conquerors 

The  work  outlined  by  the  Missionary  Society  at  this 
time  was  of  inestimable  value  in  its  effect  in  evangelizing 
and  Americanizing  Oregon. 

From  the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal  of  Decem- 
ber 21,  1838: 

OREGON  MISSION. 

Since  the  return  of  Rev.  Jason  Lee  from  Oregon,  the  Board 
of  Managers  have  had  various  consultations  with  him  respect- 
ing the  present  state  of  the  mission,  its  future  prospects,  and 
the  means   necessary  to   prosecute   it   with   vigor   and   success. 

The  whole  subject  was  referred  to  a  committee  who  had 
several  interviews  with  Brother  Lee  and  others,  and  agreed  upon 
the  following  report,  which  was  submitted  to  the  Board  on 
the  5th  inst.,  and  unanimously  concurred  in :  The  committee 
to  whom  was  referred  the  proposed  reinforcement  of  the  Oregon 
Mission,  after  mutual  consultation  with  Brother  Lee,  have  agreed 
to  recommend  that,  in  addition  to  those  already  connected  with 
the  mission,  measures  be  taken  to  increase  the  establishment  there 
by  sending  out  additional  help  as  follows,  viz. :  Five  mission- 
aries, one  physician,  six  mechanics,  four  farmers,  and  one  mis- 
sionary steward,  with  their  wives,  making  thirty-two  adults,  who 
shall  be  connected  with  the  Oregon  Mission  under  the  super- 
intendence of  the  Rev.  Jason  Lee. 

It  is  recommended  that  educated  physicians  be  selected  for 
missionaries  as  far  as  possible,  and  that,  in  appointing  the 
mechanics,  as  many  with  their  wives  as  may  be  found  capable 
as   school   teachers  be  preferred. 

The  committee  also  agreed  to  make  the  following  additional 
suggestions,  viz. : 

That  a  saw  mill  be  authorized,  together  with  all  necessary 
building  materials,  tools,  and  implements.  .  .  .  That  goods, 
to  be  selected  by  Brother  Lee,  to  the  amount  of  $5,000  be  sent 
out.  That  the  selection  of  the  laymen,  etc.,  to  be  sent,  be  re- 
ferred to  the  resident  Corresponding  Secretary  and  Brother  Lee. 

That  a  female  teacher  be  sent,  for  the  benefit  of  the  children 
of  the  missionaries — her  salary   not   to  be  paid  by  the   Board. 

That  all  persons  engaging  in  this  mission  shall  obligate 
themselves  to  remain  in  our  service  for  ten  years,  unless  sooner 
released  by   the   Board   or   the   superintendent   of   the   mission. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       69 

That  Brother  Lee  be  deputed  forthwith  to  visit  Boston, 
and  open  negotiations  with  John  N.  Barbour,  Esq.,  in  relation 
to  his  proposal  for  joint  ownership  of  a  vessel  for  passengers 
and  freight,  and  that  he  report  the  results  to  the  Board  for 
their  decision  in  the  premises.    .    .    . 

It  was  also  resolved  that  Brother  Lee  be  requested  to 
build  a  grist-mill  at  the  Willamette  Falls,  whenever  it  shall  in 
his  judgment  become  necessary  for  the  interests  of  the  mission. 

It  is  estimated  that  the  outfit,  including  a  half  year's  salary 
and  passage,  will  cost  $30,000. 

This,  with  other  missions  we  are  now  pledged  to  support, 
will  require  at  least  $130,000  for  this  year;  $61,000  having  been 
already  drawn  since  the  first  of  May  last. 

The  friends  of  the  cause,  therefore,  will  have  to  be  on  the 
alert  to  meet  the  demand.  Past  experiences,  however,  induces 
the  firm  conviction  that  there  will  be  no  lack  of  means  to 
carry  forward  this  holy  work.  But  a  united  and  persevering 
effort  is  essential  to  success. 

SECOND  MISSIONARY  TOUR  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 

To  aid  the  society  in  furnishing  the  funds  necessary  for 
the  support  of  its  mission.  Brother  Lee,  while  detained  in  the 
United  States,  will  devote  as  much  of  his  time  as  practicable 
in  visiting  various  parts  of  the  country  with  a  view  to  holding 
missionary  meetings  and  taking  collections. 

For  this  purpose  he  left  this  city  on  the  13th  inst.  for 
Washington  City,  where  he  will  spend  one  week. 

On  the  22d  he  will  visit  Baltimore,  and  remain  there  until 
the  31st.  From  January  i  to  7,  1839,  he  is  expected  to  be 
in  Philadelphia  and  vicinity. 

On  the  evening  of  the  loth  he  has  an  appointment  in 
Morristown,  N.  J.  On  the  evening  of  the  15th,  in  New  Haven, 
Conn.  The  16th  and  17th  he  will  spend  at  Middletown,  and 
the  evening  of  the  i8th  in  Hartford,  and  the  Sabbath  following 
in  Norwich,  Conn.  On  the  evening  of  the  23d,  in  Providence, 
R.  I.  From  the  24th  to  31st  he  will  spend  in  Boston  and  its 
vicinity. 

The  evening  of  February  ist  he  will  hold  a  missionary 
meeting  in  Newburyport,  and  on  the  evening  of  February  3d 
in  Portland,  Me. 


70  The  Conquerors 

After  this,  he  will  make  a  tour  north,  and  will  hold  meet- 
ings in  as  many  places  as  he  may  find  it  convenient ;  of  the  times 
and  places  for  which  he  will  give  timely  notice  himself. 

In  respect  to  the  persons  wanted  to  make  up  the  mission 
family,  we  do  not  now  advertise  for  any  persons  to  make 
application,  as  several  names  are  already  on  our  reserve  list, 
and  those  who  wish  to  volunteer  their  services,  either  as  mis- 
sionaries, farmers,  or  mechanics,  physicians,  or  teachers,  can 
make  known  their  views  and  feelings  to  Brother  Lee  when 
he  may  visit  their  neighborhoods. 

We  wish  to  become  well  acquainted  with  the  persons  before 
they  are  engaged,  that  we  may,  as  far  as  possible,  guard  against 
the  employment  of   incompetent  or   improper   persons. 

It  may  be  well,  however,  to  remark  here,  that  none  will 
be  accepted  but  such  as  have  an  established  character  for  piety, 
are  members  of  our  Church,  well  recommended  for  their  com- 
petency in  the  department  of  labor  for  which  they  may  be 
engaged,  and  are  clear  of  debt — the  Board  having  passed  a 
resolution  that  they  will  not  advance  money  to  pay  the  debts 
of  any  one  they  may  employ  in  their  service. 

It  has  already  been  resolved  that  the  missionary  family 
must  be  sent  by  water,  by  the  way  of  the  Sandwich  Islands ; 
and  as  it  will  require  considerable  time  to  select  suitable  persons, 
procure  the  necessary  supplies,  and  provide  a  convenient  passage, 
the  probability  is  that  the  expedition  will  not  leave  until  the 
latter  part  of  next  summer  or  autumn. 

Nathan  Bangs. 

The  foregoing  is  a  verbatim  copy  of  a  statement 
or  proclamation  made  by  Dr.  Bangs,  corresponding  sec- 
retary of  the  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  to  the  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  throughout  the  United  States  in  particular,  and 
to  the  general  public,  outlining  the  provision  made  by 
the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Missionary  Society  for 
the  sending  of  the  Great  Reinforcement  to  Oregon, 

A  number  of  iinportant  facts  vitally  related  to  the 
American  conquest  of  Oregon  are  involved  in  this  pro- 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       71 

vision,  and  also  in  the  herculean  labors  committed  to 
Jason  Lee  in  connection  therewith. 

1st.  This  provision  was  remarkable  for  its  compre- 
hensiveness, for  the  expense  that  would  be  incurred  in 
its  execution,  and  for  its  far-reaching  si<^nificance  in 
securing  an  American  solution  of  the  Oregon  ques- 
tion. 

2(1.  The  wisdom  of  this  provision  and  the  careful- 
ness with  which  the  recruits  to  the  American  missionary 
colony  in  Oregon  were  secured  is  worthy  of  note. 

They  were  men  of  excellent  character,  and  were 
selected  for  their  fitness  for  the  work  to  which  they  were 
appointed.  They  w^ere  men  of  affairs  and  could 
adapt  themselves  to  the  difficult  conditions  that  w^ould 
confront  them. 

The  wisdom  exercised  in  their  selection  is  evidenced 
in  the  effectiveness  of  their  work  and  the  success  of 
their  efforts  in  establishing  American  institutions  in  Ore- 
gon.    They  were  equal  to  the  demands   of  the   case. 

It  would  have  been  difficult,  perhaps  impossible,  to 
have  found  a  man  more  thoroughly  equipped  for  this 
great  work  than  was  Jason  Lee. 

They  could  erect  churches,  and  take  charge  of  the 
services  within  their  sacred  portals.  They  could  build 
school  houses,  and  supply  them  with  teachers.  Their 
capability  is  evidenced  by  their  success  as  preachers, 
teachers,  physicians,  farmers,  mechanics,  merchants, 
stockmen,  traders,  salesmen,  home  builders,  patriots, 
statesmen.  The  settlement  and  the  government  they 
founded  was  a  great  test  and  triumph  for  their  skill  and 
statesmanship.  These  were  the  outgrowth  of  their  wis- 
dom and  their  toil,  and  will  stand  through  the  centuries 
as  a  monument  to  their  names  and  memory. 


72  The  Conquerors 

Dr.  H.  K.  Hines  says  of  these  men: 

They  were  capable  of  the  highest  service  in  State  or  Church. 
Men  worthy  to  be  Presidents  and  Cabinet  Ministers,  who  only 
lacked  the  opportunity  to  become  such,  drove  ox  teams  from 
the  Missouri  to  the  Columbia.  Warriors  without  a  command 
walked  between  the  plow-handles  in  old  Marion,  Linn,  Yamhill, 
and  Lane  Counties.  Senators  without  the  toga  blew  the  fires 
of  the  forges  or  plied  the  rustic  industries  of  village  and  prairie 
in  Clackamas,  or  Polk,  or  Multnomah.  Bishops  without  the 
mitres  preached  sermons  fit  for  metropolitan  pulpits,  or  admin- 
istered missionary  cures  in  log  schoolhouses  and  pioneer  cabins. 
Orators  and  governors  pruned  fruit  trees  and  planted  vineyards 
in  rural  precincts.  They  were  the  best  fruit  of  our  splendid 
democracy,  which,  by  placing  government  in  the  hands  of  the 
people,  trains  men  everywhere  for  highest  service. — "Missionary 
History  of  the  Pacific  Northivest." 

3d.  The  touring  of  the  country  and  the  visitation  of 
the  Churches  by  Jason  Lee  was  the  means  by  which  the 
funds  were  secured  to  carry  on  and  strengthen  his  Amer- 
ican missionary  colony  in  Oregon. 

His  success  in  this  effort  is  evidenced  in  the  large 
amounts  of  money  he  raised ;  in  the  American  sentiment 
he  created  and  strengthened,  and  in  the  encouragement 
he  gave  to  emigration,  etc.^ 

Dr.  H.  K.  Hines  says : 

Mr.  Lee  devoted  the  winter  of  1838  and  the  summer  of  1839 
delivering  addresses  in  the  cities  and  towns  of  the  Atlantic  States. 
His  appeals  were  irresistible.  The  fire  of  his  zeal  caught  on 
the  altars  of  the  Church  everywhere.  The  age  of  apostolic  fervor 
seemed  to  have  returned.  Poverty  and  wealth  gave  its  silver 
and  its  gold.  The  culture  of  Boston  and  New  York  cast  their 
jewels  into  the  treasury.  Philadelphia  wept  and  gave,  and  Balti- 
more outdid  her  ancient  missionary  fame.  Lee,  who  had  dipped 
his  banner  in  the  spray  of  the  Pacific,  was  (he  hero  of  the  hour. 


1  For  an  account  of  the  causes  that  led  to  the  coming  of  the  emigrants  of 
1842-3,  sec  chapter  on  emigration  in  this  book. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       73 

Largi^  and  Enthusiastic  Missionary  Meetings  Were 
Held  Throughout  the  Country  and  Liberal 

Contributions  Were  Made. 
The  following  excerpt  is  from  a  letter  published  in 

the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal,  February  15,  1839: 

Washington  City,  January  29th. 
D^AR  Brethrein: 

It  may  be  interesting  to  you  to  know  that  the  cause  of 
missions  is  not  forgotten  by  the  Missionary  Society  of 
Ebenezer  Station.  The  fourth  anniversary  of  this  society  was 
held  on  the  31st  day  of  December.  After  the  usual  introductory 
exercises,  the  meeting  was  addressed,  briefly  but  very  appro- 
priately, by  the  Hon.  C.  Morris  and  the  Hon.  P.  G.  Goode, 
members  of  the  House  of  Rreprcsentatives.  They  were  followed 
by  Rev.  Jason  Lee  with  an  address  of  some  length.  Next  came 
William  Brooks,  an  Indian  youth,  who  made  his  first  speech 
in   English.     His  tears   spoke  with   resistless   eloquence.    .    .    . 

Deep  attention  and  solemnity  marked  the  exercises  through- 
out. 

The  financial  results  of  the  meeting  were  $103,  to  which  are 
to  be  added  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  some  jewelry.    .    .    . 
Respectfully  yours,  B.  N.  Brown.' 

2  William  Brooks  had,  previous  to  this  date,  spoken  in  his  own  language,  and 
Mr.  Lee  acted  as  his  interpreter.  He  was  one  of  the  Indian  young  men  who  ac- 
companied Mr.  Lee  in  his  tour  among  the  Churches  of  the  country  in  1838-9,  and 
on  account  of  whose  illness  Mr.  Lee  was  detained  in  Illinois,  and  was  thus  enabled 
to  give  sufficient  time  and  attention  to  his  work  in  that  region  to  make  his  emigra- 
tion movement  a  great  success.     He  was  quite  a  wit. 

On  one  occasion  before  a  large  audience  he  said;  "The  Indians  of  Oregon 
must  have  agreement  in  writing  that  white  man  do  not  sell  whisky  to  Indians; 
white  man  make  it,  and  white  man  must  drink  it."  After  a  moment's  pause,  with 
a  kind  of  quizical  air  he  said,  "O,  these  Yankies  !"  He  took  his  seat  amid  a  storm 
of  applause.  On  another  occasion  a  lady  questioned  William  about  the  process  by 
which  the  Indian  flattened  the  head,  and  criticised  the  custom  quite  severely,  to 
which  the  young  man  replied:  "All  people  have  fashions.  Chinamen  make  little 
the  foot,  Indian  make  flat  the  head.  You  (looking  at  her  waist  and  putting  his 
hands  on  his  own)  make  little  here."  William  seems  to  have  had  a  very  slender 
constitution.  He  died  after  a  brief  illness,  and  was  buried  from  Bedford  Street 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  New  York  City.  A  short  time  before  his  death  he 
said,  "  I  want  to  go  home."  "  To  your  home  in  Oregon,"  asked  Mr.  Lee.  "  No, 
to  my  home  in  heaven,"  replied  the  dying  young  man. 


74  The  Conquerors 

Mr.  Lee  held  a  meeting  in  behalf  of  his  mission 
work  in  Oregon,  at  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  of  which  he 
writes  to  the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal  as  follows: 

December  7,  1838. 

Messrs.  Editors, — I  made  an  appeal  here  in  behalf  of  our 
mission  work  in  Oregon.     The  people  responded  nobly.     .     .     . 

The  liberality  of  the  people  of  Bridgeport  surpassed  anything 
I  have  seen  this  side  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.    .    .    . 

In  Oregon,  at  our  first  missionary  meeting,  we  averaged 
more  than  seven  dollars  for  each  man  in  the  settlement.  I  think 
if  you  were  to  search  the  annals  of  missionary  history,  you 
could  not  find  a  parallel.    .    .    . 

Christian  Advocate  and  Journal,  December  21,  1838: 

Brooklyn,  December  10,  1838. 
Last  night  we  held  a  highly  interesting  missionary  meeting; 
in  some  respects  it  surpassed  any  I  ever  attended.  Brother  Lee, 
superintendent  of  the  Oregon  Mission,  gave  some  interesting 
and  affecting  details  of  his  work;  his  word  was  in  the  demon- 
stration of  the  Spirit  and  with  power.  I  am  persuaded  that 
the  effects  of  this  meeting  will  be  manifest  long  after  the  cir- 
cumstances which  produced  them  shall  be  obliterated  from  the 
mind.    A  collection  of  $170  was  taken. 

Yours,  etc.,  J.  L  Gilder. 

In  the  same  issue:  tt  m    r' 

HiLLSBORO,    N.    C. 

Since  my  appointment  to  Oregon,  I  have  been  doing  a  little 
to  aid  the  society's  funds.     Collection,  $204.12. 

W.  W.  KoNE. 

The  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal  of  July  5,  1839, 
contains  a  letter  from  Jason  Lee,  dated  New  York,  June 
28th.    He  says: 

Contrary  to  my  expectations  when  I  reached  this  country, 
Providence  opened  the  way   for   mc  to   remain  and   travel   ex- 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       75 

tcnsively,  and  urge  the  claims  of  tlic  Oregon  Mission.  I  am 
persuaded  that  the  receipts  of  the  Missionary  Society  will  suffer 
no  diminution  from  my  poor  services.  That  the  blessings  of 
many  thousands  who  arc  ready  to  perish  may  be  upon  you, 
is  the  fervent  prayer  of  your  friend  and  co-laborer  in  the  Gospel. 

^ — •— \.        g:>r    <*-  o^ 

Christian    Advocate    and    Journal,    Jtily    12,    1839: 

West  Troy,  New  York.  After  a  visit  from  Rev.  Jason  Lee — 
collection,  $106.15. 

Through  the  Eastern,  the  Middle,  the  Southern,  and 
the  Western  States,  great  interest  was  awakened  in  be- 
half of  the  work  of  Jason  Lee  in  Oregon.  His  eloquent 
appeals  won  the  attention  and  the  hearts  of  the  people, 
and  multitudes  crowded  the  churches  to  hear  him. 

The  Oregon  Mission  was  the  most  expensive  mis- 
sionary enterprise  that  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
had  inaugurated.  In  this  respect  it  was  unparalleled 
in  the  history  of  the  missionary  movements  of  that  or 
any  previous  period ;  yet  such  was  the  effect  of  the  elo- 
quent appeals  of  Jason  Lee  in  his  tours  throughout  the 
country,  that  the  inoney  with  which  to  begin  and  carry 
on  this  work  was  easily  secured. 

His  success  in  raising  funds,  in  awakening  enthusiasm 
in  behalf  of  Oregon,  and  in  securing  large  and  timely 
reinforcements  to  his  American  colony,  was  the  provi- 
dential, the  effective,  and  the  determining  element  in  ob- 
taining the  American  occupancy  and  control  of  the  Ore- 
gon country. 

The  Oregon  Mission  was  born  in  the  light  and  the 
warmth  of  the  great  missionary  fires  kindled  by  Jason 
Lee,  and  American  institutions  in  Oregon  had  their  in- 


76  The  Conquerors 

spiration  and  their  birth  in  the  reflex  influence  of  the 
fires  that  he  kindled  upon  the  altars  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Churches  throughout  the  United  States. 

The  missionary  movements  of  Christendom  were 
strengthened  and  accelerated  by  his  great  success.  For 
his  own  Church  he  set  the  pace  for  liberal  giving  and 
successful  work  in  raising  money  for  the  cause  of  mis- 
sions. From  that  time  until  now,  the  offerings  of  our 
people  have  continued  to  increase  until,  for  the  year 
ending  October  31,  1906,  the  receipts  of  the  Parent  So- 
ciety amounted  to  $2,071,648.28. 

An  Important  Announce:me;nt. 

The  following  excerpts  from  the  Twentieth  Annual 
Report  of  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Missionary  So- 
ciety in  regard  to  the  Oregon  Mission  were  published 
in  the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal,  July  5,  1839: 

From  the  advantages  of  the  location  of  the  territory,  the 
salubrity  of  its  climate,  the  richness  of  its  soil,  it  may  be  pre- 
sumed that  the  country  will  be  filled  with  white  inhabitants 
at  no  distant  day.    .    .    . 

It  is  therefore  highly  important  that  the  best  interests 
of  all  be  secured  and  that  the  institutions  of  Christianity  be 
early  established  there,  that  the  settlements  may  be  saved  from 
the  contaminating  influences  of  vicious  indulgences.     .     .    . 

It  has  been  determined  to  send  out  a  reinforcement  .  .  . 
together  with  those  farming  and  mechanical  utensils  necessary 
to  carry  on  the  respective  trades  and  occupations,  as  well  as 
a  large  quantity  of  goods  composed  of  such  articles  as  are 
necessary  to  supply  the  mission.     .     .     . 

Though  this  outfit  will  be  very  expensive,  and  for  a  time 
it  will  require  much  to  keep  the  mission  in  operation,  yet,  if 
success  crowns  our  efforts,  the  expenditure  to  the  Missionary 
Society  will  be  diminished  by  the  cultivation  of  farms,  etc. 
And  this  mode  of  conducting  the  mission  is  considered  essential 
to  its  successful  operation.    .    .    . 


Settlement  of  tJie  Oregon  Country       77 

A  large  farm  has  been  brought  under  cuhivation  and  is 
well  stocked  with  cattle,  etc.,  by  which  provision  is  made  for  the 
support  of  the  mission.    .    .    . 

Zion's  Herald,  from  April,  1838,  to  December  31, 
1843,  gives  many  facts  of  great  historical  importance 
about  Jason  Lee  and  his  work. 

In  issue  of  April  11,  1838,  is  published  a  letter 
written  by  Miss  Margaret  Smith,  descriptive  of  the  work 
of  the  mission  and  of  the  Oregon  country. 

Issue  of  October  17,  1838,  contains  an  editorial,  from 
which  we  give  a  few  excerpts : 

OREGON. 

We  have  long  looked  with  peculiar  interest  upon  this  terri- 
tory and  have  fancied  that  we  could  see  in  the  lofty  battlements 
ot  the  Rocky  Mountains,  in  the  shores  of  the  great  ocean  of  the 
West,  in  the  snows  of  the  North,  and  the  vast  plains  of  the 
South  the  bounds  of  a  great  empire — yet  to  be.  With  a  climate 
in  which  health  is  a  common  blessing,  a  soil  on  which  vegetation 
assumes  its  most  luxuriant  forms,  a  coast  indented  with  harbors, 
and  a  back  country  teeming  with  all  the  gifts  of  nature,  with 
rivers  throughout  its  whole  extent  affording  an  opportunity  for 
hundreds  of  miles  of  inland  navigation,  furnish  a  situation  which 
for  trade  and  commerce  is  unrivaled.  With  these  and  other 
advantages,  it  can  not  fail  to  entice  the  steps  of  the  emigrant, 
and  to  afford  a  most  delightful  home  for  him.  We  hazard 
nothing  in  saying  that  the  time  for  the  realization  of  Jefferson's 
wish  can  not  be  far  distant,  when  the  whole  length  of  that 
coast  shall  be  inhabited  with  free  and  independent  Americans. 
.  .  .  Entertaining  these  views,  we  have  been  pleased  to  learn 
that  a  society  has  been  formed,  the  object  of  which  is  to  prepare 
the  way  for  the  settlement  of  that  country  on  the  principles 
of  Christianity,  which  will  secure  the  virtue  and  happiness  of 
the  emigrants  and  the  civilization  and  salvation  of  the  aborigines. 
We  learn  that  the  society  intends  publishing  a  monthly  journal, 
in  which  they  will  embody  all  the  facts  which  can  be  collected 
respecting  that  territory.  For  the  society  and  for  the  paper 
we  bespeak  the  patronage  of  our  friends.     Further  information 


78  The  Conquerors 

can  be  obtained  by  application  to  Rev.  F.   P.  Tracy,  secretary 
of  the  society.' 

Issue  of  December  19,  1838,  gives  an  account  of  a 
great  missionary  meeting  held  at  Wilbraham,  Mass.  The 
writer  says: 

Brother  Lee,  accompanied  by  three  Indian  youths  from 
west  of  the  Rocky  Momitains,  visited  us  and  spent  the  Sabbath 
of  the  25th  of  November  in  this  place.  At  six  o'clock  in  the 
evening  he  held  a  great  missionary  meeting.  The  exercises 
began  with  singing  by  the  Indians.  After  prayer,  Brother  Lee 
addressed  the  audience  for  over  an  hour  in  a  manner  and  spirit 
showing  that  his  whole  soul  was  in  his  work.  Every  heart  was 
deeply  affected.  He  gave  an  account  of  his  labors,  privations, 
and  sufferings ;  of  the  good  accomplished  by  the  missionaries, 
and  of  the  great  importance  of  the  work  in  Oregon. 

It  would  be  fruitless  to  attempt  a  description  of  the  address. 
To  have  a  correct  idea  of  his  power  and  of  the  great  interest 
he  arouses  in  behalf  of  his  Oregon  Mission,  he  must  be  seen 
and  heard.  I  think  I  never  attended  a  meeting  of  greater  in- 
terest, and  never  saw  a  nobler  specimen  and  example  of  what 
a  missionary  should  be.  The  collection  was  one  hundred  and 
twenty  dollars.  Twenty  dollars  were  given  to  constitute  Rev. 
Mr.  Bowns,  the  Congregational  minister  of  the  place,  a  life 
member  of  the   Parent   Society.     .     .     . 

We  think  the  impulse  given  by  Mr.  Lee  to  the  cause  of 
missions  in  the  Churches  of  the  country  will  increase  until  the 
end  of  time.  Two  of  the  Indian  boys  remain  at  the  academy, 
having  been  sent  out  by  their  father  to  be  educated.     .     .     .* 

3  Mrs.  Clara  D.  Worth,  an  assistant  on  the  staff  of  Zion's  Htrald,  No.  36 
Bromfield  Street,  Boston,  who  examined  the  files  of  that  paper,  says,  "Jason  Lee 
was  present  at  a  meeting  of  this  society  on  the  occasion  of  one  of  his  visits  to 
that  city." 

4  This  was  a  great  meeting,  and  the  occasion  was  one  of  unusual  interest.  It 
seemed  as  if  a  little  section  of  heaven  was  let  down  among  the  people.  Mr.  Lee 
was  at  his  best.  His  auditors  embraced  the  faculty  of  the  college,  his  schoolmates, 
his  personal  friends,  and  a  large  number  of  the  adult  population  of  the  town  and  of 
the  country  in  the  vicinity  of  Wilbraham.  His  address  created  intense  enthusiasm. 
The  convictions,  purposes,  and  sentiments  respecting  Oregon  that  had  their  birth 
in  this  and  in  similar  large  gatherings  of  the  people  throughout  the  country  gave 
life,  power,  and  success  to  the  American  cause  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  made  th« 
Oregon  of  to-day  possible  and  certain. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       79 

In  same  issue,  December  19,  1838,  is  a  communica- 
tion from  Jason  Lee  to  the  secretary  of  the  Missionary 
Society,  under  the  caption,  "Missionary  Intelhgence." 
He  gives  an  account  of  places  visited  and  amount  of 
cash  collections  taken  in  a  short  period  immediately  pre- 
ceding the  mailing  of  his  letter.  Unpaid  pledges  are 
not  embraced  in  these  amounts.  Had  these  been  in- 
cluded, the  aggregate  would  have  been  greatly  increased : 
''Alton,  111.,  Baptist  Church,  $50;  St.  Louis,  $57;  Carlin- 
ville,  $7.86;  Springfield,  $33.12;  Peoria,  $22.75;  Chi- 
cago, $40.35;  Detroit,  $30;  Utica,  $172;  Fairfield, 
$8.40." 

Issue  of  February  6,  1839,  contains  an  account  of 
a  great  missionary  meeting  held  in  Bromfield  Street 
Church,  Boston.  Address  by  Jason  Lee,  in  which  he 
gives  an  outline  of  his  work  in  behalf  of  Oregon,  from 
the  beginning,  in  1833,  to  the  date  of  that  meeting.  "His 
address  occupied  two  and  a  half  columns.  It  was  one 
of  great  eloquence  and  power,  and  created  intense  en- 
thusiasm." 

Issue  of  February  20,  1839:  "Missionary  meetings 
held  at  Lowell ;  collection,  $100 ;  Portsmouth,  N.  H., 
$63 ;  Portland,  Me.,  $200." 

Issue  of  February  27th :  "Meetings  held  and  collec- 
tions taken  at  Haverhill,  $50;  Newburyport,  $100. 

Issue  of  the  same  date  gives  an  account  of  a  large 
and  enthusiastic  missionary  meeting  held  in  Philadelphia, 
December  4,  1838 :  "Addresses  were  made  by  Rev.  Jason 
Lee  and  William  Brooks,  Hon.  William  A.  Slacum,  of 
the  United  States  Navy,  employed  by  the  Government 
to  make  inquiries  and  investigations  into  the  political, 
statistical,  and  geographical  conditions  of  Oregon,  was 
also  present  and  addressed  the  meeting." 


80  The  Conquerors 

We  give  the  following  extracts  from  his  address : 

I  called  upon  Dr.  McLoughlin  at  Fort  Vancouver,  who  told 
me  that  the  fact  was  fairly  established  that  the  Western  Indians 
were  willing  to  receive  instruction.  ...  I  visited  the  mis- 
sion, embarking  with  my  servant  and  six  Indians.  I  soon 
entered  the  Willamette  or  Multnomah,  which  flows  into  the 
Columbia  about  eighty  miles  from  its  mouth.     .     .     . 

It  is  now  nearly  two  years  since  I  was  greeted  by  the 
friendly  voice  of  Jason  Lee,  who  called  to  me  from  the  shore 
to  direct  me  where  to  land,  for  the  current  was  rapid  and  the 
night  was  dark  and  chill.  ...  I  have  seen  Jason  Lee  at  his 
post,  imparting  mental  and  physical  instruction  to  those  who 
slumbered  in  the  profoundest  ignorance  of  God's  command- 
ments. I  have  seen  him  rearing  the  temple  of  God  in  the 
wilderness.  I  have  seen  him  administering  the  consolation  of 
our  holy  religion  to  those  who  were  without  a  pastor  and  of  a 
different  faith.  I  have  seen  him,  too,  arresting  one  of  the 
greatest  evils  to  which  the  white  men  and  the  red  men  are 
subject  and  establishing  a  temperance  society  among  those  who 
are  proverbially  beyond  the  pale  of  moral  restraint — I  mean 
the  trappers  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  ...  He  bore 
their  revilings  with  the  true  courage  of  a  Christian  minister. 
At  length  these  very  men  became  convinced  of  the  purity  and 
integrity  of  his  character.    .    .    . 

Mr.  Slacum  read  extracts  from  an  official  report  he 
had  previously  made  to  Congress.^ 
The  extracts  he  read  are  as  follows: 

The  Rev.  Jason  Lee,  missionary  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  came  eighteen  miles  to  meet  me.  In  company  with 
him,  I  called  on  all  the  settlers  in  the  lower  settlement,  and 
next  day  visited  the  Mission  House  and  the  upper  settlement. 
No  language  of  mine  can  convey  any  adequate  idea  of  the  great 
benefit  those  worthy  and  most  excellent  men,  the  Messrs.  Jason 
and  Daniel  Lee  and  Messrs.  Shepard  and  Edwards,  and  their 
assistants,  have  conferred  upon  this  part  of  the  country,  not 
by  precept  only,  but  by  example,  as  the  result  of  their  labors 
show. 

fi  Thousnnds  of  copies  of  this  report  were  printed  by  order  of  Congress  for 
circulation  among  the  people. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       81 

He  then  described  the  mission  buildings,  the  work 
accompHshed  by  the  missionaries  and  by  the  Indian  boys ; 
the  qiiahty  of  the  land,  the  desirableness  of  the  country, 
and  gave  the  number  of  the  families  and  of  the  people 
in  the  settlement. 

In  conclusion,  I  will  only  add  that  the  day  that  witnessed 
Jason  Lee's  descent  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  was  a  day  of 
gladness  and  joy,  and  it  will  be  for  you,  my  friends,  to  assist 
in  perpetuating  the  glorious  work  in  which  he  has  periled  every- 
thing to  give  life  and  light  to  those  who  sit  in  darkness.  The 
collection  was  $560. 

These  facts  afford  conclusive  proof  that  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  through  its  publications,  its 
pulpits,  and  its  membership,  and  especially  through  the 
untiring  and  vv^ell-directed  labors  of  its  chosen  repre- 
sentative and  matchless  leader,  Jason  Lee,  gave  pub- 
licity, enthusiasm,  and  success  to  the  Oregon  movement. 
Jason  Lee  created  conditions  that  made  American  su- 
premacy in  Oregon  certain. 

Issue  of  March  6,  1839 — meeting  at  Newberry;  col- 
lection, $74.  The  v^riter  says :  "The  addresses  of  Brother 
Lee  and  the  Indian  were  listened  to  with  deep  attention, 
and  the  effect  will  doubtless  be  lasting." 

April  24,  1839— item  signed,  "S.  Kelley:"  "Mis- 
sionary cause  at  Danville,  Vt.  Meeting  addressed  by 
]\Ir.  Lee  and  William  Brooks.  Collection,  $200  cash, 
and  many  -  pledges." 

Issue  of  June  5,  1839,  an  article  is  copied  from  the 
New  York  Spectator,  giving  an  account  of  the  twentieth 
anniversary  of  the  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  The  meeting  was  one  of  great  in- 
terest. 

Issue  of  March  4,  1840,  gives  a  few  items  copied 
from  the  Richmond  Journal,  Richmond,  Va.  It  consists 
6 


82  The  Conquerors 

of  extracts   from  the  diary  of  Rev.   W.   Kone,   giving 
information  about  Oregon,     Collections  taken,  etc. 

Issue  of  ]\Iarch  23,  1842,  publishes  a  communication 
from  the  wife  of  Rev.  Jason  Lee,  dated  March  11,  1841. 
It  gives  an  account  of  the  death  of  Mrs.  David  Leslie 
and  IVIr.  Cyrus  Shepard,  and  many  items  of  interest 
touching  the  sickness  and  death  of  the  Indians,  and  their 
customs  in  the  case  of  the  illness  and  death  of  their 
people.  It  embraces  two  columns.  This  letter  was  pub- 
lished just  three  days  after  the  death  of  the  writer.'^ 

6  That  Jason  Lee  foresaw  the  necessity  for  making  known  the  material  wealth 
of  the  Oregon  country,  and  taking  the  initiative  in  its  development  as  a  factor  in 
his  great  work;  that  he  recognized  the  importance  of  encouraging  the  educational 
interests  of  his  American  settlement  and  furnishing  it  with  the  facilities  necessary 
to  a  healthful  growth  and  the  maintenance  of  a  permanent  existence  along  the 
highest  and  best  industrial,  intellectual,  and  moral  lines,  is  evident  in  the  use  he 
made  of  the  forces  that  would  contribute  to  these  results,  and  the  prominence  he 
gave  them  in  the  prosecution  of  his  labors  in  behalf  of  Oregon. 


CHAPTER  IV 

Jason  Lee  Opens  the  Gates  for  Oregon's 
Deliverance 

Wiv  have  referred  to  the  memorial  presented  to  Con- 
gress in  1838  by  Rev.  Jason  Lee,  and  now  ask  atten- 
tion to  a  third  document  of  a  kindred  sort,  written  and 
sent  to  Congress  in  1839  by  Rev.  David  Leslie  and  others, 
and  it  shows  three  things  very  clearly : 

1st.  That,  from  the  viewpoint  of  the  missionaries,  the 
ultimate  control  of  the  Oregon  country  by  the  United 
States  was  a  matter  of  great  importance. 

2d.  That  great  difficulties  were  in  the  way  of  secur- 
ing that  for  which  they  hoped  and  prayed  and  labored. 
These  difficulties  are  outlined  in  this  important  document. 

3d.  The  vigor  and  persistency  with  which  they  pushed 
the  American  claim  for  the  control  of  the  Oregon  countr)' 
is  especially  noteworthy. 

AN  IMPORTANT  MEMORIAL. 

To  the  Honorable,  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of 
the  United  States  of  America,  in  Congress  assembled: 
Your  petitioners  represent  to  your  honorable  bodies  that  they 
arc  residents  of  Oregon  Territory,  and  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  or  desirous  of  becoming  such;  that  they  have  settled  in 
said  territory  under  the  belief  that  it  was  a  portion  of  the 
domain  of  the  United  States,  and  that  they  might  rely  upon  the 
Government  for  the  blessings  of  its  institutions  and  the  pro- 
tection of  its  arms.  .  .  .  And  your  petitioners  would  repre- 
sent that  they  have  no  means  of  protecting  their  lives  and  the 
lives  of  their  families,  other  than  by  self-constituted  tribunals. 

83 


84  The  Conquerors 

.  .  .  They  represent  these  means  of  safety  to  be  an  in- 
sufficient safeguard  of  life  and  property,  and  that  the  crimes 
of  theft,  murder,  infanticide,  etc.,  are  increasing  to  an  alarm- 
ing extent.  .  .  .  Your  petitioners  therefore  pray  the  Congress 
of  the  United  States  to  establish  a  territorial  government  in 
Oregon. 

And  if  other  reasons  were  needed  to  induce  your  honorable 
bodies  to  grant  the  prayer  of  the  undersigned,  they  would  be 
found  in  the  value  of  the  territory  to  the  Nation  and  the  alarm- 
ing circumstances  that  portend  its  loss. 

Your  petitioners  would  represent  that  the  English  Govern- 
ment has  had  a  surveying  party  on  the  Oregon  Coast  for  two 
years,  employed  in  making  accurate  surveys  of  all  its  bays, 
rivers,  and  harbors;  and  that  recently  the  said  Government  made 
a  grant  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  of  rights  in  land  lying 
between  the  Columbia  River  and  Puget  Sound,  and  that  the 
said  company  is  actually  exercising  acts  of  ownership  over  said 
lands,  etc.  And  their  declaration  that  the  English  Government 
owns  and  will  hold  that  portion  of  Oregon  Territory  north  of 
the  Columbia  River,  together  with  the  facts  that  the  said  com- 
pany are  cutting  and  sawing  into  lumber  and  shipping  to  foreign 
marts  vast  quantities  of  the  finest  pine  trees  in  Oregon,  have 
led  your  petitioners  to  apprehend  that  the  English  Government 
does  intend  at  all  events  to  hold  that  portion  of  the  territory 
lying  north  of  the  Columbia  River. 

And  your  petitioners  represent  that  the  said  territory  north 
of  the  Columbia  River  is  an  invaluable  possession  to  the 
American  Union;  that  the  Puget  Sound  are  the  only  harbors 
of  easy  access  and  commodious  and  safe  upon  the  whole  coast 
of  the  territory.     .     .     . 

Your  petitioners  would  further  represent  that  the  country 
south  of  the  Columbia  River,  and  north  of  the  Mexican  line, 
is  one  of  unequalcd  beauty.  The  mountains  covered  with  per- 
petual snow,  pouring  into  the  prairies  below  around  their  bases 
transparent  streams  of  the  purest  water.  The  white  and  black 
oak,  pine,  cedar,  and  fir  forests  that  divide  the  prairies  into 
sections  convenient  for  farming  purposes ;  the  rich  mines  of 
coal;  the  quarries  of  limestone,  chalk,  and  marble;  the  salmon 
in  the  rivers,  and  the  various  blessings  of  the  delightful  and 
healthy  climate  are  known  to  us  and  impress  your  petitioners 
with  the  belief  that  this  is  one  of  the  most  favored  portions 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       85 

of  the  globe.  .  .  .  Many  other  circumstances  could  be  named 
showing  the  importance  of  this  territory  in  a  national,  com- 
mercial, and  agricultural  sense. 

And,  although  your  petitioners  would  not  undervalue  con- 
siderations of  this  kind,  yet  they  beg  especially  to  call  the 
attention  of  Congress  to  their  own  condition  as  an  infant  colony, 
without  military  force  or  civil  institutions  to  protect  our  lives 
and  property,  our  children,  sanctuaries,  and  tombs  from  the 
hands  of  the  uncivilized  savages  around  us. 

We  respectfully  ask  for  the  civil  institutions  of  the  American 
Republic.  We  pray  for  the  higli  privilege  of  American  citizen- 
ship, the  peaceful  enjoyment  of  life;  the  right  of  acquiring, 
possessing,  and  using  property,  and  the  unrestrained  pursuit 
of  national  happiness. 

And  your  petitioners  will  ever  pray. 

David  Leslie,  and  about  Seventy  Others. 

Mr.  Leslie  was  at  this  time  superintendent  pro  tern 
of  the  mission  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
Oregon  during  the  absence  of  Mr.  Lee  in  the  East  ar- 
ranging for  and  bringing  to  the  coast  the  Great  Re- 
inforcement. 

Mr.  Lke's  Second  Marriage. 

In  1839,  before  starting  for  the  Pacific  coast,  Mr. 
Lee  was  married  to  Miss  Lucy  Thomson,  of  Barre,  Ver- 
mont. For  over  two  years  she  shared  in  the  trials  and 
toils  of  mission  life  and  work  in  Oregon.  Suddenly, 
on  the  morning  of  March  20,  1842,  she  went  up  to  join 
the  innumerable  company  whose  robes  are  woven  in  the 
looms  of  heaven  and  whose  feet  touch  the  pathways  of 
light  with  angelic  fleetness.  A  daughter  was  born  of 
this  union.    Of  her.  Dr.  H.  K.  Hines  says: 

She  lived  to  become  one  of  the  accomplished  graduates  of 
the  Willamette  University,  the  school  her  father  had  founded 
as  the  "Oregon  Institute."  She  was  the  most  successful  pre- 
ceptress that  institution  ever  had.     Then,  in  her  full-orbed  and 


86  The  Conquerors 

majestic  womanhood  she  lay  down  to  rest  by  her  mother's  side 
in  Lee  Mission  Cemetery,  at  Salem,  Oregon,  the  old  Chemekete, 
a  spot  consecrated  by  more  of  the  pioneers,  heroes,  and  heroines 
of  American  Christianity  than  sleep  anywhere  else  by  the  shores 
of  these  Western  seas. 

After  her  death,  Mr.  Lee  wrote  to  his  nephew,  Rev. 
Daniel  Lee: 

.  .  .  I  stand  like  one  bewildered.  ...  Is  it  possible 
that  the  sod  in  Oregon  covers  another  companion  who  was 
dearer  to  me  than  life?     .     .     . 

To  his  old  friend,  Bishop  Baker,  he  wrote: 

My  Dear  Brother, — May  heaven  long  save  yon  from  the 
pangs  I  feel,  .  .  .  but  in  the  midst  of  all,  T  rejoice  that 
my  companions  will  suffer  no  inore  and  that  I  shall  join  them 
in  that  glorious  realm.  ...  I  feel  that  it  would  be  a  sin 
to  waste  my  energies  in  fruitless  grief.  ...  I  can  exult  in 
the  midst  of  the  furnace,  for  one  like  unto  the  "Son  of  man" 
is  with  me,  and  I  expect  to  come  forth  without  the  smell  of 
hre  upon  my  garments.    .    .    . 

THE  GREAT  REINFORCEMENT. 

Lee  brought  to  the  coast,  in  eighteen  forty 

The  largest  missionary  party 

That  ever  came  o'er  land  or  sea, 

To  Oregon,  to  make  her  free; 

They  built  mills,  and  opened  farms; 

They  erected  storehouses  and  barns; 

They  established  homes  and  schools ; 

They  built  churches,  and  adopted  rules 

American ;  in  form  and  fact. 

The  result  of  Lee's  work  and  tact. 

LEAVING  NEW  YORK. 

On  the  evening  of  the  3d  of  October,  1830,  the  Missionary 
Society  held  a  farewell  meeting  for  the  Oregon  Mission  family 
in  the  Green  Street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  New  York. 

The  family  consisted  of  Rev.  Jason  Lee  and  wife;  Rev. 
J.   H.   Frost  and  wife;   Rev.  Gustavus   Hines,  wife  and  child; 


MRS.  ANNA  IMTMAN   LEE. 

PROF.   E.   H.  GRURBS.  MRS.    F.    H.    GRUBBS. 

REV.  W.  H.    LEE. 

REV.   DANIEL   LEE.  MRS.   DANIEL  LEE. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       87 

Rev.  W.  H.  Kone  and  wife;  Rev.  A.  F.  Waller,  wife  and  two 
children;  Rev.  J.  P.  Richmond,  M.  D.,  wife  and  four  children; 
Dr.  I.  L.  Babcock  (physician),  wife  and  one  child;  Mr.  Geo. 
Abernethy  (missionary  steward),  wife  and  two  children;  Mr. 
W.  W.  Raymond  (farmer)  and  wife;  Mr.  L.  H.  Judson  (cabinet 
maker),  wife  and  three  children;  Mr.  J.  L.  Parish  (blacksmith), 
wife  and  three  children;  Mr.  James  Alley  (carpenter)  and  wife; 
Mr.  Hamilton  Camp!)cll  (carpenter),  wife  and  child;  Miss  C.  A. 
Clark,  teacher;  Miss  Maria  T.  Ware,  teacher;  Miss  Elmira 
Philips,  teacher;  Miss  Orpha  Lankton,  stewardess;  Miss  A. 
Philips,  and  Thomas  Adams   (Indian  boy). 

It  is  probable  that  a  more  impressive  missionary  service  was 
never  held  in  New  York.  Rev.  Nathan  Bangs,  D.  D.,  cor- 
responding secretary  of  the  Missionary  Society,  presided,  and 
Mr.  G.  P.  Disosway  was  secretary.  An  address  was  delivered 
by  Rev.  Robert  Alder,  D.  D.,  of  London.  Several  of  the  mis- 
sionaries also  addressed  the  meeting. 

The  entire  missionary  family  was  introduced,  and  the  chair- 
man delivered  a  farewell  address. 

On  the  Qth  day  of  October  the  Lausanne  went  to  sea. — 
"Missionary  History  of  the  Pacific  Northwest,"  by  Dr.  H.  K. 
Mines. 

Of  this  missionary  expedition,  the  following  state- 
ment appears  in  the  "History  of  the  Catholic  Church 
in  Oregon :"  "It  was  the  greatest  exodus  ever  sailing 
from  an  Eastern  port  to  any  coast." 

Bishop  Blanchet  says:  "No  missionaries  were  ever 
dispatched  to  represent  the  various  sects  in  any  land 
under  more  favorable  auspices  than  were  the  ladies  and 
gentlemen  belonging  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
amidst  the  wilds  of  Oregon." 

And  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  favorable  auspices 
referred  to  were  effected  by  the  overwhelming  Oregon 
sentiment  created  by  Jason  Lee ;  by  the  large  amount  of 
money  he  had  raised  to  make  the  movement  successful, 
and  the  wise  management  that  characterized  his  con- 
trol of  this  Great  Expedition. 


88  The  Conquerors 

jMr.  Bancroft  says  of  the  missionaries  who  sailed 
from  New  York  in  1839,  under  the  leadership  of  Rev. 
Jason  Lee : 

No  company  ever  sailed  from  that  port  whose  departure 
was  watched  with  more  interest  by  religious  and  political  circles. 
The  ship  reached  Honolulu  on  the  nth  of  April,  1840,  where 
all  disembarked  and  were  hospitably  entertained  until  the  28th, 
when  they  set  sail  for  the  Columbia  River.  During  their  sojourn, 
Mr.  Lee  held  a  conference  with  Kamehameha  III,  relative  to 
the  exchange  of  productions  between  the  islands  and  Oregon, 
and  an  informal  treaty  of  commerce  was  entered  into,  to  the 
manifest  pleasure  of  the  king. — Bancroft,  "History  of  Oregon," 
Vol.  I,  page  178. 

Mr.  Bancroft  says,  "The  cost  of  this  expedition  was 
$42,000." 

Wilson,  in  "Oregon  Sketches,"  Mss.  23,  says,  "It 
involved  an  expenditure  of  $42,000." 

Quotations  from  Important  Letters, 
The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  letter  written  by 
Mrs.  Judge  Terry,  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  to  Dr.  D.  L. 
Rader,  editor  of  the  Pacific  Christian  Advocate,  and  was 
published  in  that  paper  June  28,  1905.     She  says: 

I  enjoyed  every  word  about  dear  Jason  Lee.  A  better 
man,  I  suppose,  never  lived.  His  moral  qualities  were  so 
enlarged  and  always  in  the  ascendancy.  Never  shall  I  forget 
the  moral  lesson  he  taught  me  at  twelve  years  of  age.  We 
were  on  our  way  from  the  Sandwich  Islands  to  Oregon.  Passing 
through  the  dining  saloon  on  the  way  to  the  deck  one  morning, 
I  spied  a  plate  of  molasses  candy,  and  I  stowed  away  a  great 
lump  of  it  in  my  mouth,  when  I  felt  a  hand  on  my  shoulder 
and  heard  the  word  "daughter"  (he  always  called  me  his  oldest 
daughter)  come  sadly  and  reprovingly  from  his  lips.  He  asked 
mc  if  I  had  any  right  to  take  the  candy  that  did  not  belong 
to  me,  and  as  wc  promenaded  the  dock,  with  my  little  hand  in 
his  broad  palm,  he  talked  to  me  of  (ruth,  fidelity,  and  righteous- 
ness in  such  a  way  as  to  give  me  a  longing  for  purity  of  heart. 
I  was  but  twelve  years  of  age,  but  the  impression  was  lasting. 


REV.   DAVID  LESLIE. 


REV.  A.   F.  WALLER. 


MRS.  S.  R.   BEGGS. 


MON.  GEORGE  ABERNETHV. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       89 

Of  the  missionaries  who  formed  a  part  of  the  "Great 
Reinforcement"  and  came  to  Oregon  with  Jason  Lee  in 
1840,  it  is  quite  certain  that  at  this  date,  January  i,  1906, 
there  is  but  one  survivor,  viz.,  Mrs.  S.  R.  Beggs,  of 
Rosebud  Indian  Agency,  South  Dakota.  She  resides  with 
her  nephew  and  niece,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  E.  J.  DeBell. 

Mrs.  Judge  Terry,  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  whose  com- 
numication  has  just  been  given,  was  twelve  years  of 
age  when  she  came  to  the  coast ;  and,  though  a  member 
of  the  mission  family,  she  was  not  a  missionary. 

Rev.  John  O.  Foster,  D.  D.,  an  old  friend  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Beggs,  has  permitted  me  to  read  a  letter  which 
contains  information  of  great  historical  importance.  We 
give  herewith  a  few  excerpts  from  it: 

Brother  Foster: 

I  received  your  letter  a  few  days  since;  in  answer  to  your 
inquiries,  will  say:  I  was  born  on  New-Year's  day,  1816;  I 
was  married  New-Year's  day,  1834,  to  Rev.  J.  H.  Frost.  In 
May,  1834,  he  joined  the  New  York  Conference.    .    .    . 

In  1839  he  was  appointed  as  missionary  to  the  Flathead 
Indians   in   Oregon  by   Bishop    Hcdding.     .     .     . 

October  9,  1839,  Wednesday,  according  to  previous  arrange- 
ment, carriages  came  to  convey  us  to  the  White  Hall  Dock  in 
New  York.  The  steam  tug  Hercules  had  been  chartered  to 
carry  some  missionary  friends  and  to  tow  our  ship  into  the  bay. 
A  vast  multitude  had  come  to  witness  our  departure.  At  ten 
o'clock,  A.  M.,  all  things  being  ready,  we  took  an  affectionate 
leave  of  those  on  shore  and,  accompanied  by  as  many  as  could 
be  accommodated  on  the  tug,  were  soon  alongside  the  ship,  and 
imder  motion  for  the  bay,  where  we  arrived  about  noon. 

After  taking  off  some  light  articles  on  the  vessel,  some  of 
the  friends  going  aboard  to  see  our  cabins,  we  gathered  on 
the  Hercules  for  a  brief  religious  service.  After  singing  and 
prayer,  Brothers  Richmond  and  Campbell  each  had  a  child 
baptized. 

Dr.  Natlian  Bangs,  the  missionary  secretary,  addressed  us 
in  a  very  pathetic  and  appropriate  manner.     One  of  the  secre- 


90  The  Conquerors 

taries  of  the  American  Board  also  made  a  short  address.  They 
sent  out  a  missionary  and  family,  Rev.  L.  M.  Dibble,  to  the 
Sandwish  Islands  with  us. 

Now  came  the  parting  scene;  amid  sighs  and  tears,  we  bade 
a  final  adieu  to  friends  and  embarked  on  the  Lausanne.  The 
tug  loosed  from  the  ship  and  took  a  long  half-circle  route 
around  our  bow,  then  bore  away  for  the  city.  Hats,  handker- 
chiefs, and  flags  were  waved  by  us  and  also  by  them  till  distance 
obscured  them  from  our  view. 

After  sixty-five  days  we  arrived  at  Rio  de  Janeiro,  South 
America,  and  as  we  sailed  up  the  harbor,  saw  the  most  beauti- 
ful scenes  we  had  ever  looked  upon.  No  ladies  appeared  on 
the  streets  unveiled,  but  we  missionary  women  walked  where 
we  pleased  and  were  a  great  curiosity. 

We  visited  the  palace  and  were  introduced  to  the  emperor 
of  Brazil,  Don  Pedro.  He  was  a  fine  looking  gentleman  and 
was  very  courteous.  We  also  saw  a  beautiful  Portuguese  lady 
of  the  court. 

Two  of  our  United  States  war  vessels  were  in  the  harbor, 
and  during  our  stay  of  a  week  they  sent  their  gig  down  and 
took  us  ashore  and  showed  us  much  attention.  It  was  hard 
to  say  farewell  to  beautiful  Rio,  as  we  weighed  anchor  and 
sailed  away  for  Cape  Horn  and  Valparaiso. 

Soon  after  leaving  this  port  we  were  detained  about  a  month 
by  terrific  head  winds,  and  before  we  rounded  Cape  Horn  were 
driven  southward  to  the  6oth  degree  of  south  latitude.  One 
day  the  captain  requested  all  the  ladies  to  come  on  deck  dressed 
in  their  best  attire,  and  as  we  appeared,  he  gave  the  order 
to  square  away  the  yards,  and  we  were  delighted  to  learn  that 
the  wind  was  now  fair.  The  captain  said,  "I  knew  if  you 
ladies  came  on  deck  we  would  have  a  fair  wind."  With  a  good 
breeze  we  started  north. 

Presently  our  ship  ran  into  a  shoal  of  whales;  they  played 
about  our  ship  for  some  time.  The  captain  said  that  some  of 
Ihem  were  over  sixty  feet  long,  and  that  these  were  the  first 
whales  he  had  seen  in  thirty  years  in  these  waters.  After  two 
months  from  Rio,  we  arrived  in  Valparaiso  to  find  that  the 
smallpox  was  raging  as  an  epidemic  in  the  city.  We  lay  in 
the  harbor  for  two  weeks  without  going  ashore;  then,  via  Juan 
Fernandez,  we  sailed  for  the  Sandwich  Islands. 

When  we  crossed  the  equator,  going  south,  the  captain  called 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       91 

us  on  deck  to  assist  him  in  burying  the  North  Star.  As  it 
went  down  into  the  ocean,  the  men  took  off  their  hats,  and 
we  all  bowed  our  heads  and  said  good-bye  until  we  meet  again 
on  the  western  side  of  the  continent. 

When  we  crossed  the  equator  going  north,  the  captain  called 
us  on  deck  to  witness  the  resurrection  of  the  North  Star,  and 
as  it  arose  above  the  waves  the  men  bared  their  heads,  and  we 
all  cheered,  so  glad  were  we  to  sec  our  old  friend  again.  And 
there  in  mid-ocean  we  consecrated  ourselves  anew  to  the  work 
of  God.     .     .    . 

A  little  later  we  struck  the  trade  winds,  and  had  warm 
weather  and  fair  sailing  till  we  reached  the  Sandwich  Islands. 
The  thing  that  attracted  my  attention  here  was  the  extinct 
volcanoes,  and  Diamond  Head,  which,  we  were  told,  had  a  little 
lake  on  the  top.  We  could  see  the  bold  headland  far  out  to 
sea  and  enjoyed  the  sight. 

We  entered  the  Columbia  River  in  May,  1840,  after  a  sea 
voyage  of  nearly  eight  months.  We  left  our  ship  at  Fort 
Vancouver,  where  we  remained  three  months.  We  went  down 
the  river  in  a  flat-boat  and  established  our  mission  on  the 
Clatsop  Prairie.  With  the  mission  as  a  base,  we  traveled  up 
and  down  the  river,  doing  all  the  good  we  could  among  the 
Indians. 

Mr.  Birnie,  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  said,  "Don't  go 
to  those  Clatsop  Indians;  they  will  kill  you."  My  husband 
said,  "I  am  under  orders  and  must  go,  and  shall  consider 
myself  immortal  until  my  work  is  done." 

Mr.  Frost  told  the  Indians  that  they  must  not  kill,  or  steal, 
or  lie,  or  commit  adultery;  they  must  love  God,  and  love 
each  other.  They  promised  to  do  as  he  said,  and  they  literally 
kept  their  word  as  long  as  we  remained  among  them.  They 
never  showed  any  rudeness  or  indignity  to  us.  They  willingly 
assisted  us  in  building  the  mission  house.  I  mention  these  things 
to  show  that  they  were  not  as  bad  as  represented,  except  in 
the  matter  of  infanticide — many  of  the  female  children  were 
destroyed. 

One  dark,  rainy  night,  when  the  snow,  the  sleet,  and  the 
wind  added  their  rigors  to  the  winter  on  the  Clatsop  plains, 
a  cry  was  heard;  again  and  again  the  cry  rang  out  upon  the 
curtains  of  the  night,  and  I  said,  "Husband,  I  am  going  to 
find  out  what  that  cry  means."     I  went  out  into  the  darkness 


92  The  Conquerors 

and  soon  came  to  an  abandoned  Indian  camp;  they  had  thrown 
the  baby  girl  among  the  weeds  and  left  her  there  to  die  from 
starvation  or  exposure,  or  to  be  devoured  by  wild  beasts.  I 
fed,  clothed,  cared  for,  and  instructed  the  child  as  a  necessary 
preparation  to  a  useful  and  happy  Christian  life.     .     .     . 

While  we  were  at  the  Clatsop  Mission,  a  terrific  storm  came 
in  from  the  ocean;  it  was  terrible  beyond  description.  Word 
reached  us  that  a  shoal  of  whales  had  been  stranded  on  the 
beech.  We  ventured  out  to  view  the  scene,  and,  sure  enough, 
there  they  were;  some  of  them  were  fifty  feet  long  and  weighed 
several  tons.  We  counted  twenty-five.  The  huge  monsters  rolled 
like  great  logs  on  the  shore.  Some  of  them  did  not  die  for 
days.    Their  struggles  were  a  sight  never  to  be  forgotten. 

Of  Dr.  McLoughlin  and  his  associate,  Mr.  Douglass,  she 
says :  I  was  well  acquainted  with  these  gentlemen,  and  am 
pleased  to  say  a  word  as  to  their  noble  character.  These  men 
and  Mr,  Lee  stood  for  law  and  order,  and  arranged  a  code 
of  rules  and  regulations  for  the  preservation  of  order  and  the 
protection  of  life  and  property  in  the  Oregon  country. 

Dr.  McLoughlin  had  a  son  and  daughter.  The  son  was 
highly  educated  in  a  military  school  in  England.  He  traveled 
for  two  years  on  the  continent,  then  came  to  America  and 
visited  all  places  of  interest  in  the  United  States  and  Canada. 
He  was  an  elegant  and  noble  young  man  and  maintained  the 
virtues  of  his  father. 

My  husband,  Dr.  Frost,  was  obliged  to  give  up  his  mission 
work  because  of  failing  health.  At  the  end  of  five  years  of 
service  in  Oregon  we  returned  East,  where,  a  little  later,  he 
died.  A  few  years  afterward  I  was  married  to  Rev.  S.  R. 
Beggs,  one  of  the  pioneer  ministers  of  the  Rock  River  Con- 
ference. I  assisted  him  in  his  work  for  many  years  and  or- 
ganized a  large  number  of  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary 
Societies.  Mr.  Beggs  died  a  few  years  ago.  I  have  seen  three 
generations  come  and  go.  I  am  old,  gray,  blind,  and  wrinkled, 
and  time  threatens  to  push  me  into  the  tomb  very  soon.  Dr. 
E.  J.  DcBcll,  my  nephew,  brought  me  to  his  home,  where  T  am 
pleasantly  situated.  He  says  the  Lord  has  dealt  very  kindly  with 
me  in  leaving  me  the  use  of  my  mind.  T  dictate  my  letters, 
but  must  use  a  borrowed  hand  to  write  them. 

My   nephew   and   niece   say   I   must   slay   with   them    until 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       93 

I  am  a  century  young.     The  years  of  my  life  have  been  full 
of  Christian  work. 

I  have  attended  service  frequently  at  the  old  church  at 
Willamette  Falls,  to  vi^hich  you  refer.  I  was  at  that  place 
when  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rogers,  the  bride  and  groom,  were  swept 
over  the  Falls  and  were  drowned.  I  have  camped  many  times 
upon  the  grounds  where  the  beautiful  city  of  Portland  now 
stands  and  in  which  city  the  Methodist  Congress  and  the  Lewis 
and  Clark  Exposition,  of  which  you  speak,  were  held.  Your 
reference  to  these  and  other  things  awakened  precious  memories 
of  the  olden  time  and  brought  forth  a  flood  of  tears. 

I  am,  with  kind  regards,  yours  as  ever, 

Sarah  R.  Beggs. 

1st.  This,  so  far  as  the  author  of  this  book  is  aware, 
is  the  most  graphic  and  complete  description  of  the  sail- 
ing of  the  Lausanne  of  which  we  have  any  record. 

2(1.  The  large  numbers  present  on  this  notable  occa- 
sion, many  of  whom  came  from  distant  and  different 
parts  of  the  country. 

The  intense  interest  and  enthusiasm  they  manifested 
in  this  Great  Expedition  shows  with  tremendous  force 
the  effectiveness  of  Mr.  Lee's  work  in  behalf  of  Oregon, 
and  the  strong  hold  he  had  upon  the  attention  and  upon 
the  hearts  of  the  people  of  the  United  States. 

Nothing  equal  to  it  has  ever  been  witnessed  in  the 
history  of  missionary  movements. 

The  Lausanne  was  to  the  Pacific  coast  in  1839 
what  the  Mayflower  was  to  the  Atlantic  coast  at  an 
earlier  date. 

The  Mayflower  brought  to  the  shores  of  New  Eng- 
land the  men  who  laid  the  foundations  of  empire  in  the 
New  World. 

The  Lausanne  brought  a  shipload  of  Methodists 
to  the  Pacific  coast  who,  by  the  settlement  they  made 
and  the  work  they  wrought,  established  an  American 
Commonwealth  in  Oregon. 


94  Tlie  Conquerors 

In  each  case  the  British  Government  claimed  owner- 
ship of  the  country.  In  the  first  instance,  victory  came 
to  the  American  contention  at  the  close  of  what  is 
known  as  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  In  the  other,  it 
came  as  the  result  of  the  larger  numbers  and  the  greater 
influence  and  effort  that  was  brought  to  bear  upon  the 
situation  through  the  American  Mission  Settlement  es- 
tablished by  Jason  Lee. 

An  Important  Letter. 

A  long  letter,  written  by  Jason  Lee,  on  the  good 
ship  Lausanne,  when  on  the  way  to  Oregon,  is  given  in 
the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal,  from  which  we  give 
a  few  brief  excerpts.  It  is  dated  February  22,  1840,  and 
published  in  issue  of  January  27,  1841. 

"Oregon  Mission  Famii^y  at  the;  Sandwich  Isi^ands." 

Here  follows  a  description  of  the  journey  from  New 
York ;  a  statement  of  the  health  of  the  missionaries 
and  their  families,  and  an  account  of  the  services  held 
on  shipboard,  consisting  of  preaching,  love-feasts,  sacra- 
mental services,  prayer-meetings,  and  lectures  by  Mr.  Lee 
descriptive  of  Oregon,  its  climate,  and  the  conditions 
that  prevailed ;  the  difficulties  that  the  missionaries  had 
to  encounter;  the  grandeur  of  the  work,  etc. 

He  gives  a  very  interesting  account  of  his  visit  to  the 
king  of  the  islands,  as  follows : 

According  to  previous  arrangement,  the  mission  family  met 
on  the  16th  inst.  at  the  house  of  the  United  States  Consul,  and 
walked  thence  to  the  palace  to  pay  our  respects  to  the  king, 
accompanied   by    the    consul. 

We  were  shown  into  a  spacious  apartment  and  seated,  where 
wc   awaited   the   presence   of   the   king.      He    soon   entered,    at- 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       U5 

tended  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Richards,  his  interpreter,  and  his  prime 
minister. 

The  consul  presented  to  him  Brother  Lee  as  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  expedition.  The  salutation  over  and  all  quietly 
seated,  the  consul  stated  our  object  in  going  to  Oregon;  the 
mutual  intercourse  and  exchange  of  commodities  which  would 
exist  between  the  two  countries,  and  recommended  us  to  the 
same  favorable  consideration  his  majesty  had  always  granted 
to  the  citizens  of  the  United  States,  and  hoped  that  the  same 
friendly  feelings  which  had  characterized  the  intercourse  of  his 
Government  between  the  United  Slates  and  its  citizens  might 
continue  between  the  people  in  these  islands  and  the  American 
settlement  in  Oregon. 

The  king,  in  reply,  said  he  was  pleased  to  see  us  going  to 
Oregon  for  such  a  purpose,  it  was  good,  and  that  he  had  no 
doubt  but  that  an  exchange  of  commodities  would  be  beneficial 
to  both  countries;  that  we  were  welcome  to  the  shores  of  his 
island  home,  and  hoped  that  our  friendly  relations  would  con- 
tinue. Brother  Lee  then  arose  and  stated  the  object  of  his 
work  in  Oregon,  the  long  distance  he  had  to  come,  and  the 
difficulties  encountered,  etc.  The  king  replied,  "He  is  very  perse- 
vering." Brother  Lee  expressed  his  joy  for  what  the  Gospel 
was  accomplishing  in  the  Sandwich  Islands  and  his  ardent  desire 
and  prayer  for  the  prosperity  of  the  country,  and  especially 
for  the  happiness  and  welfare  of  his  majesty,  both  here  and 
hereafter.  The  king  seemed  considerably  affected  when  his  own 
personal  salvation  was  the  subject  of  conversation. 

The  Flathead  Indian  boy  was  then  introduced.  The  king 
was  very  much  interested  and  inquired  how  long  he  had  been 
learning,  if  he  could  speak  English,  upon  what  his  people  lived, 
and  expressed  a  wish  to  hear  him  speak  in  his  own  language,  etc. 

The  prime  minister  is  a  female  of  immense  stature.  She 
said,  "I  have  little  to  say,  except  to  express  my  admiration  for 
you  and  your  work  and  my  best  wishes  for  your  success." 

When  we  arose  to  depart,  the  king  arose  and  took  us  each 
by  the  hand,  and  we  retired  pleased  and  gratified  with  the 
interview.     .     .     , 

There  arc  two  large  native  churches  in  this  place, 
in  each  of  which,  perhaps,  there  assembles  from  two  to  three 
thousand  persons  to  hear  the  Word  of  Life.  .  .  .  O,  what 
a  field  is  open  to  the  Church  all  along  the  coast  of  the  vast 


96  The  Conquerors 

Pacific,  from  Cape  Horn  to  the  North  Pole!    .    .    .    You  will 
hear  from  us  soon  after  we  reach  Oregon.^ 

From  the  information  contained  in  this  letter  of  Mr. 
Lee's  it  is  shown: 

1st.  How  the  time  of  the  missionaries  was  occu- 
pied on  board  the  ship  during  the  long  voyage  half  way 
around  the  globe. 

2d.  This  interview  with  the  king  of  the  Hawaiian 
Islands  was  a  prophecy  and  a  prelude  to  the  ownership 
of  the  islands  by  the  United  States. 

3d.  Mr.  Lee's  reference  to  the  largeness  of  the 
Pacific  coast  country,  and  the  vastness  of  the  oppor- 
tunity for  doing  good,  together  with  the  formal  ex- 
pression of  desire  for  friendliness  in  matters  of  trade, 
is  proof  of  the  clearness  of  his  vision  in  regard  to  the 
greatness  of  the  country,  the  possibilities  of  its  future, 
and  his  statesmanlike  grasp  of  the  situation,  both  in  a 
commercial  and  a  religious  sense. 

A  letter  from  Rev.  A.  F.  Waller  is  published  in  the 
Christian  Advocate  and  Journal,  February  10,  1841.  He 
tells  of  the  safe  arrival  of  the  missionaries  in  Oregon. 
He  also  gives  an  account  of  the  voyage,  and  says,  of 
a  large  church  that  was  being  erected  in  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  at  Honolulu,  "It  is  one  hundred  and  forty-four 
feet  in  length  and  seventy-eight  feet  in  width.     .     .     ."^ 

1  Mr.  Lee's  audience  with  the  king  was  not  only  the  initial  action  in  the  es- 
tablishment of  commercial  relations  between  the  United  States  and  the  Hawaiian 
Islands,  but  it  is  an  interesting  coincident  that  in  less  than  a  twelve-month  there- 
after the  king  gave  his  people  a  written  constitution  in  which  was  incorporated  the 

Provision   that   the   Christian   religion   should   be  the   established  religion  of  his 
sland  Kingdom. 

2  The  erection  of  this  large  church  and  the  wonderful  transformation  that  had 
taken  place  among  the  native  population  afford  incontrovertible  proof  of  the 
effectiveness  of  the  work  done  by  the  missionaries  of  the  "American  Board"  in 
these  islands. 


Settlement  of  lite  Oregon  Coiintr/j       07 

Arrival  or"  tiii^  Lausanne  with  tihc  Gri^at 

Rl^INl'ORCIiMlCNT. 

The  Lausanne  was  untlcr  the  command  of  Captain 
Spaulding-,  and  was  chartered  by  the  Missionary  Society. 
She  entered  the  Columbia  River  and  cast  anchor  in 
Baker's  Bay,  May  21,  1S40.  They  disembarked  at  Van- 
couver on  the  1st  day  of  June,  1840,  and  were  welcomed 
by  Dr.  McLoughUn  to  the  hospitahties  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company  as  long  as  they  should  find  it  necessary 
to  remain  at  that  place.  This  was  the  largest  band  of 
missionaries  that  ever  left  or  entered  an  American  port. 
Tile  personnel  of  this  party  has  been  given  in  these  pages. 

They  met  for  consultation  at  Vancouver,  after  which 
tiiey  were  appointed  to  their  several  fields  of  labor.  The 
following  assignments  were  made  by  the  superintendent: 

The  Clatsop,  near  the  mouth  of  tlie  Columbia 

River  J.  H.  Frost. 

The  Dalles Daniel  Lee  and  H.  K.  W.  Perkins. 

Nisqually,  on  Pugct  Sound J.  P.  Richmond. 

Umpqua Gustavus  Ilines  and  W.  H.  Kone. 

Willamette   Station David   Leslie. 

Willamette  Falls Alvan  F.  Waller. 

The  Dalles 

The  mission  at  The  Dalles  (Wascopam)  was  estab- 
lished in  March,  1838.  Revs.  Daniel  Lee  and  II.  K.  W. 
Perkins  were  placed  in  charge.  It  was  located  where 
the  beautiful  city  of  The  Dalles  now  stands. 

A  Perilous  Journey. 

In  the  W'inter  of  1842  ominous  rumors  of  trouble 
with  the  Indians  were  heard ;  signs  of  unrest  were  ap- 
parent among  the  Walla  Wallas  and  the  Cay  uses  in  that 
region.  Mr.  Lee  was  looked  to  to  avert  the  danger;  he 
braved  the  perils  of  a  journey  in  mid-winter  to  that  place 
7 


98  The  Conquerors 

and  succeeded  in  calming  the  disturbed  conditions.  His 
account  of  this  trip  is  given  in  his  journal  and  is  full 
of  interest.  His  escape  was  almost  miraculous.  He 
says,  under  date  of  January  31,  1843:  "With  the  snow, 
the  wind,  and  the  drifting  ice  and  the  violent  currents  of 
surging  waters,  escape  seemed  impossible,  but  I  was  fully 
composed  and  able  to  stay  myself  on  the  Lord." 

Dr.  Hines,  speaking  of  this  perilous  journey,  says: 

Can  the  records  of  missionary  work  in  any  land  or  in  any 
age  show  braver  or  more  self-denying  toil  than  this?  In  the 
snows  and  storms  of  mid-winter,  with  four  Indian  companions, 
a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  up  and  down  great  rivers  broken 
by  cascades,  swept  by  wintry  tempests,  with  currents  sweeping 
on  toward  the  sea,  filled  with  floating  ice;  with  the  snow  a 
foot  or  more  deep  along  the  portage  and  the  bleak  and  un- 
inhabited shores  where  they  camped;  adventure  has  no  more 
thrilling  story,  piety  no  diviner  devotion,  and  courage  no  more 
magnificent  daring  than  were  displayed  by  this  man  in  his  work 
among  the  most  degraded  of  earth. 

February  ist,  Mrs.  Lee,  in  his  journal,  says:  "Found 
the  members  of  the  mission  well.  Mrs.  Dr.  Whitman 
was  with  them.  I  was  glad  to  meet  her,  as  I  had  not 
seen  her  since  I  called  upon  them  on  my  journey  East 
in  1838,  but  was  sorry  to  find  her  in  poor  health." 

The  station  at  The  Dalles,  on  the  Columbia,  was  dan- 
gerously isolated  and  exposed.  The  Indians  in  that 
region  had  always  been  the  most  bloodthirsty  of  any 
with  whom  the  trappers  and  traders  had  to  contend. 
The  Northwest  Company  and,  in  the  after  3'ears,  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company  were  compelled  to  bear  their 
burdens  in  one  hand  and  their  rifles  in  the  other  ready 
for  instant  use  as  they  went  to  and  fro  upon  their  er- 
rands of  barter.  Never  until  Jason  Lee  had  entered  the 
country  and  begun  his  teaching  among  the  Indians,  had 
travelers  dared  to  pass  these  gates  without  armed  bands 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country       99 

to  defend  tliem,  and  even  then  they  often  paid  a  heavy 
tribute  of  pkmder  and  blood  to  the  savage  guardians 
of  these  rocky  passes.  The  strongest  expeditions  were 
sometimes  defeated,  and  it  required  all  the  skill  and 
bravery  of  such  daring  mountaineers  as  Ross,  McDougall, 
and  McKay  to  secure  a  passage  through  the  robber  bands 
of  Wishram. 

His  mission  and  visit  in  the  interest  of  continued 
peaceful  relations  with  the  Indians  was  eminently  suc- 
cessful. 

Dr.  H.  K.  Hines  says:  "No  other  American  in  the 
country  had  as  much  influence  as  Jason  Lee  with  these 
Indians,  and  his  courage  and  sagacity  were  equal  to  any 
emergency." 

As  a  result  of  Mr.  Lee's  visit  and  the  work  he  began 
at  that  time,  a  blessed  awakening  and  revival  occurred 
among  the  Indians,  and  many  of  them  were  converted. 

An  Eloquknt  Prayer. 

Daniel  Lee  gives  the  substance  of  a  prayer  oflfered 
by  one  of  them: 

O  Thou  great  God  on  high,  we  now  pray  to  Thee.  Our 
fathers  knew  Thee  not ;  they  died  in  darkness,  but  we  have 
heard  of  Thee.  Now  we  see  a  little.  Truly  we  are  wretched ; 
our  hearts  are  bhnd,  dark  as  night ;  our  ears  are  closed ;  our 
hearts  are  bad,  full  of  evil,  nothing  good.  Truly  we  pray  now 
tt)  Thee.  O  make  us  good ;  put  away  our  bad  hearts ;  give 
Thy  Holy  Spirit  to  make  our  hearts  soft!  O,  make  our  hearts 
good,  all  good,  always  good !  Now,  we  desire  Thee ;  O,  come 
into  our  hearts — now  come,  Jesus  Christ — Thy  Son  died  for  us. 
O  Jesus,  wash  our  hearts !    Behold  and  bless — Amen. 

Dr.  Hines  says:  "About  1.200  Indians  were  in  at- 
tendance at  this  meeting.  On  Sunday  one  hundred  and 
fifty  were  baptized  by  Jason  Lee;  four  or  five  hundred 


100  The  Conquerors 

partook  of  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  amid 
tokens  of  spiritual  interest  and  appreciation  often  lack- 
ing in  more  cultured  congregations." 

The  character  and  blessed  results  of  the  work  done 
at  this  mission   is   indicated   in  the   following  estimate: 

Dr.  McLoughlin  said  to  Jason  Lee :  "Before  you 
came  to  the  country,  we  could  not  send  a  boat  past 
The  Dalles  without  an  armed  guard  of  sixty  men.  Now 
we  go  up  and  down  the  river  singly,  and  no  one  is 
robbed."  Thus  ]\Ir.  Lee"s  missionaries  had  become  a 
very  efifective  police  force. 

Rev,  Daniel  Lee  was  born  in  Stanstead,  Canada, 
July  I,  1806.  He  was  converted  in  1827.  He  joined 
the  New  Hampshire  Conference  in  183 1.  He  came  to 
the  Pacific  coast  with  Jason  Lee  in  1834.  He  was  mar- 
ried, at  Fort  Vancouver,  in  Oregon,  June  11,  1840,  to 
Miss  Maria  T.  Ware,  by  Rev.  Jason  Lee.  He  had  charge 
of  the  mission  at  The  Dalles.  He  left  Oregon  in  August, 
1843,  and  took  his  place  in  the  New  Hampshire  Con- 
ference, of  which  he  remained  a  member  until  his  death, 
v.'hich  occurred  at  Oakgrove,  Oklahoma,  July  22,  1895. 
Miss  Maria  T.  Ware  was  born  in  Gilsum,  New  Hamp- 
shire, October  7,  1812.  She  died  in  Caldwell,  Kansas, 
July  4,  1892. 

Dr.  H.  K.  Hines,  in  his  book,  "Missionary  History 
of  the  Pacific  Northwest,"  says  of  Daniel  Lee: 

His  missionary  career  was  of  a  most  devoted  and  honorable 
character.  He  was  the  nephew  of  Jason  Lee,  and  a  little  more 
than  three  years  his  junior.  Young,  strong,  courageous,  in- 
domitable, and  practical,  no  better  helper  could  have  been  se- 
lected. He  was  a  great  admirer  of  the  character  and  abilities 
of  his  uncle,  and  rejoiced  in  the  opportunity  of  uniting  his 
destiny  with  that  of  the  man  he  loved  and  revered. 


ScttJcmcnt  of  the  Oregon  Counlry     101 

Important  Notice. 

In  the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal  of  February 
10,  1841,  among  other  items  of  interest  referring  to 
Oregon,  appears  this  notice:  "J"st  published,  tract  No. 
300.  This  gives  an  account  of  the  work  of  God  in  the 
Oregon  Mission,  under  the  charge  of  the  Rev.  Jason  Lee. 
Let  the  friends  of  missions  send  for  it,  and  distribute  it 
far  and  wide.  The  facts  it  contains  are  worth  more 
than  a  thousand  mere  arguments." 

The  inscription  on  the  title-page  of  tlic  tract  herein 
referred  to  was,  "Wonderful  work  of  God  among  the 
Indians  of  the  Oregon  Territory."  It  consisted  of  clip- 
pings from  the  journal  of  Rev.  H.  K.  W.  Perkins,  giving 
a  very  interesting  account  of  a  great  revival  among  the 
Indians  at  Wascopam  (The  Dalles),  when  over  eight 
hundred  were  converted.  It  began  in  September,  1839, 
about  the  time  that  the  mission  house  at  that  place  was 
completed. 

This  work  of  grace  was  remarkable  for  the  interest 
taken  in  the  services,  for  the  large  attendance,  and  the 
many  genuine  conversions  that  took  place,  as  evidenced 
in  the  changed  lives  of  multitudes  of  Indians.  This 
revival  was  one  of  the  most  successful  that  ever  oc- 
curred among  the  aborigines  in  the  Oregon  country. 

The  tract  had  an  extensive  circulation  and  was  finally, 
with  other  popular  tracts,  bound  and  sold  in  book  form 
by  the  Methodist  Book  Concern. 

In  the  same  issue  there  is  this  statement,  "The  larg- 
est mission  family  ever  sent  out  has  reached  Oregon." 

Excerpts  from  Important  Letters. 
A  letter  from  Rev.  A.  F.  Waller  is  juiblished  in  the 
Christian  Advocate  and  Journal,   March    i,    1841  ;   it  is 
dated  June  9,  1840: 


102  The  Conquerors 

OREGON  MISSION. 

.  .  .  The  Hudson  Bay  Company  have  a  strong  hold  upon 
this  country  and  are  doing  an  extensive  business.  .  .  .  The 
Columbia  is  one  of  the  noblest  rivers  in  the  world;  its  waters 
abound  with  salmon,  the  finest  fish  I  ever  saw  or  tasted.  .  .  . 
The  country,  so  far  as  I  am  able  to  judge,  is  as  good  as  the 
world  affords.    .    .    . 

The  same  writer  has  an  article  in  the  same  paper 
in  the  issue  of  IMay  19,  1841.  After  describing  his  work 
among  the  Indians,  in  which  he  refers  to  their  rapid 
disappearance  as  a  very  discouraging  feature  of  mission- 
ary work  among  them,  he  says : 

Our  mission  is  exerting  a  very  salutary  influence  upon  the 
territory.  ...  I  have  no  doubt  the  country  will  settle,  and 
that  rapidly.  It  is  very  good  for  grain — wheat  especially;  I 
have  never  seen  such  fine  wheat  in  the  Genesee  country.     .     ,     . 

Cattle  will  keep  fat  all  winter  without  fodder.  .  .  .  Hun- 
dreds  of   thousands   of   acres   are   ready   for   the  plow.     .    .    . 

Hold  yourself  in  readiness  to  come  to  Oregon.  We  need 
more  help,  and  must  have  it  to  meet  the  wants  of  the 
country.     .     .    . 

The  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal  of  August  25, 
1842,  has  a  four-cohimn  article  from  Jason  Lee,  dated, 
"Mission  House,  Willamette,  March  15,  1841,"  The 
following  excerpt  is  of  interest  in  that  it  shows  the 
rapid  disappearance  of  the  Indians  and  the  manner  in 
which  they  accounted  for  it : 

Some  came  to  our  tent  and  began  to  talk  about  their  former 
numbers  and  the  causes  of  the  great  decrease  which  had  taken 
place  since  their  remembrance. 

They  said  the  smallpox  had  carried  off  nearly  all  of  their 
people  many  years  ago,  and  that  the  "cold  sick"  (the  fever  and 
ague)  had  killed  the  rest,  so  that  there  were  "halo  tilicum  ulta," 
"no  people  now."  The  cold  sick,  they  claimed,  was  brought  to 
tliem  by  Captain  Dominus. 

King  George's  people  told  them  to  give  them  all  the  large 
beaver  and  salmon,  and  to  give  Captain  Dominus  all  the  small 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     103 

ones ;  and  that  he  became  angry  and  told  them  that  they  would 
see  by  and  by,  and  that  they  would  all  be  dead  before  long. 
Accordingly,  when  he  was  about  to  leave,  he  opened  his  phial 
and  let  out  the  cold  sick. 

I  told  them  that  the  smallpox  could  be  carried  in  a  phial, 
but  not  the  ague.  They  seemed  a  little  staggered,  but  of  course 
could  see  no  good  reason  why  the  one  could  not  be  carried  in 
a  phial  as  well  as  the  other.    .    .    . 

The  foregoing  is  descriptive  of  a  scene  that  occurred 
as  Mr.  Lee  was  on  his  way  up  the  Columbia  in  a  canoe, 
on  his  return  to  Oregon  with  the  Great  Reinforcement. 
He  camped  Saturday  night,  May  22,  1840,  and  next 
day  (Sunday)   held  services  with  the  Indians. 

May  25th. — Reached  Vancouver,  and  was  received  by  Dr. 
McLoughlin  with  all  his  characteristic  kindness  and  hospitality. 
He  assured   me   that   he  had   room   for   Mr.   Lee   and   all   his. 

I  remained  with  the  Doctor  four  hours,  and  then  left  for 
the  Willamette.  Reached  the  lower  part  of  the  settlement  about 
sunset  and  started  on  horseback  for  the  mission.  Night  came 
on,  and  I  slept  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  E.  Tibbits. 

May  27th. — Made  an  early  start  and  arrived  at  the  mission 
while  they  were  at  breakfast.  No  news  of  my  arrival  preceded, 
I  therefore  took  them  by  surprise.  Brother  Whitcomb  met 
me  at  the  door ;  Sister  Shepard  came  next ;  but  O  what  a 
meeting  was  that !  What  changes  in  the  short  space  of  two 
years !  Our  mutual  afflictions  came  rushing  upon  us  with  over- 
whelming force.  It  was  too  much ;  our  dear  sister  was  obliged 
to  leave  the  room  to  give  vent  in  private  to  her  feelings,  which 
it  was  not  possible  to  restrain;  I  left  four  precious  friends  in 
the  Mission  House,  but  now  I  find  but  two.  I  gazed  involun- 
tarialy  around,  but  I  see  them  not.  Alas!  alas!  I  must  seek 
them  in  the  silent  grave,  for  they  have  ceased  from  their  labors, 
and  their  works  do  follow  them.    .    .    . 

Monday,  31st. — Left  for  Vancouver.  .  .  .  On  the  evening 
of  June  13,  1840,  the  brethren  received  their  appointments. 
After  we  reached  the  Willamette,  it  was  judged  best  to  proceed 
forthwith  to  erect  a  sawmill,  in  order  to  facilitate  our  building 
operations  in  this  station.     .    .    . 

It  was  thought  best  that  the  Umpqua  should  be  more  thor- 


104  The  Conquerors 

oughly  examined  before  our  brethren  proceeded  to  that  field. 
Accordingly,  Brother  Hines  and  myself,  accompanied  by  Dr. 
White  and  an  Indian  boy,  left  the  mission  to  visit  and  explore 
that  region.  .  .  .  Dined  with  our  friends  who  are  erecting 
the  sawmill,  distant  eight  or  ten  miles  from  the  mission.     .     . 

I  am,  dear  sir, 

The  above  communication  closes  with  a  lengthy  de- 
scription of  Mr.  Lee's  visit  to  the  Umpqua  country  and 
the  dangers  encountered.^ 

There  are  two  communications  in  the  Christian  Advo- 
cate and  Journal  from  Rev.  David  Leslie,  dated  Sep- 
tember 30,  1840;  in  one  of  these  he  furnishes  an  obituary 
notice  of  Cyrus  Shepard ;  the  other  contains  many  items 
of  interest,  among  which  are: 

At  the  Willamette  Mission  Station  there  are  two  hundred 
and  seven  acres  of  land  enclosed,  one  hundred  and  twenty-two 
of  which  are  under  cultivation.  In  1839  wheat  harvested,  1,100 
bushels ;  potatoes,  850  bushels ;  peas,  250  bushels ;  number  of 
swine,  65 ;   horses,  63 ;  cattle,  168. 

These  excerpts  from  original  letters,  papers,  official 
correspondence,  records,  etc.,  contain  many  facts  of  great 
historical  importance : 

1st.  They  show  very  clearly  and  fully  the  causes 
that  led  up  to  the  beginning  of  missionary  work  in 
Oregon. 

2d.  They  give  valuable  information  about  the  work 
done  and  the  settlement  made  by  the  missionaries,  ottt  of 
which  American  institutions  were  born  on  these  Pacific 

3  Mr.  Lee  left  the  mission  August  18,  1840,  for  this  second  tour  to  the  Umqua 
Country.  The  journey  was  a  very  perilous  one,  and  because  of  ilie  ticacherous 
character  of  the  Indians  and  their  threatening  altitude  toward  the  missionaries  the 
purpose  to  establish  a  mission  in  that  region  was  abandoned. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Countrij     105 

shores.  The  visit  of  the  Indians  in  St.  Louis;  the  initia- 
tory correspondence,  plans,  and  work  that  entered  into 
the  arrangement  for  the  estabHshment  of  a  mission  in 
Oregon,  are  given  with  a  completeness  of  detail  that 
greatly  enhances  their  value.  The  reliability  of  this  in- 
formation is  beyond  question, 

3d,  Jason  Lee,  in  his  two  great  missionary  com- 
paigns,  created  an  intense  interest  in  behalf  of  Oregon 
that  was  widespread  and  overwhelming  in  its  efifect  in 
favor  of  the  American  contention.    They  show : 

4th.  That  he  raised  large  sums  of  money,  by  which 
he  not  only  made  liberal  provision  for  his  work  in 
Oregon,  but  the  missionary  work  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  throughout  the  world  was  greatly  strength- 
ened thereby.  His  campaigns  were  also  a  benediction 
of  helpfulness  to  the  missionary  work  of  other  Churches. 
It  gave  increased  life  and  power  to  missionary  work 
everywhere. 

5th.  They  show  that  the  Indians  were  rapidly  dis- 
appearing, and  that  the  white  people  were  taking  their 
place  in  the  occupancy  and  control  of  the  country,  and 
that  the  work  of  the  missionaries  was  being  transferred 
in  part  from  the  Indian  mission  work  to  the  upbuilding 
of  the  American  settlement. 

6th.  They  give  evidence  of  the  fact  that  Mr.  Lee's 
work  on  the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific  coasts  was  the  great 
factor  that  created  and  maintained  the  growth  and  tlie 
permanency  of  this  American  settlement. 


CHAPTER  V 

Nisqually — Jason  Lee's  Mission  Settlement  on 
Puget  Sound 

Mr.  htt  visited  Nisqually  in  1838,  previous  to  his 
visit  East,  and  determined  to  establish  a  mission  at  that 
point. 

The  mission  house  was  erected  under  the  direction 
of  Rev.  David  Leslie  and  Mr.  W.  H.  Wilson.  They 
came  to  Nisqually  in  the  early  part  of  April,  1839,  and 
on  the  loth  of  that  month  began  the  erection  of  the 
mission  buildings. 

The  site  selected  was  about  a  half-mile  east  of  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company's  fort  and  trading  post.  The  main 
building  was  eighteen  feet  wide  and  thirty-two  feet  long, 
with  walls  nine  feet  high.  An  addition,  eighteen  by 
twenty  feet,  was  afterward  built  on  the  west  side.  Whip- 
saws  were  used  in  preparing  the  lumber  used  in  the 
construction  of  the  building. 

A  stockade  was  erected  around  the  building,  leaving 
sufficient  grounds  in  the  enclosure  for  garden  purposes 
and  the  work  of  the  mission.  The  officers  and  men  at 
the  Hudson  Bay  Company's  fort  assisted  in  this  work 
with  labor  and  material. 

Mr.  Lee,  on  his  return  to  the  coast  in  1840,  with  the 
Great  Reinforcement,  met  with  the  missionaries  at  Van- 
couver, where  they  spent  several  days  in  consultation  and 
prayer  and  final  preparation  for  departure  to  their  fields 
of  labor. 

106 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     107 

Dr,  John  P.  Richmond  was  appointed  to  Nisqually. 
He  was  the  first  American  and  family  to  become  resi- 
dents of  the  Puget  Sound  country.  He  antedated  all 
other  American  settlers  by  at  least  five  years. 

In  connection  with  the  appointment  of  Dr.  Rich- 
mond as  missionary,  Mr.  W.  H.  Wilson  was  appointed 
to  the  secular  department,  and  Miss  Chloe  A.  Clark  as 
teacher  of  the  Mission  School. 

From  Vancouver,  they  went  down  the  Columbia  and 
up  the  Cowlitz  in  canoes,  and  then  on  pack  horses  and 
on  foot,  over  a  rough  trail,  to  the  point  of  their  destina- 
tion. 

Dr.  Richmond  visited  the  camps  in  the  surrounding 
country,  and  talked  to  the  Indians  through  an  interpreter. 
Religious  services  were  held  regularly  at  the  mission. 
About  fifty  Indian  children  attended  the  mission  school. 

Soon  after  tlie  opening  of  the  mission,  Mr.  Wilson 
and  ]\Iiss  Clark  were  married.  They  were  the  first 
American  couple  to  be  married  in  Western  Washington. 
The  first  American  child  who  could  claim  the  Puget 
Sound  country  as  its  birthplace  was  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Richmond — a  son.  The  following  record  was  made 
in  the  Bible  at  the  time  of  his  baptism: 

Francis  Richmond,  son  of  John  P.  Richmond  and  his  wife, 
America,  was  born  at  Puget  Sound,  near  Nisqually,  Oregon 
Territory,  on  the  28th  of  February,  Anno  Domini  1842,  and  was 
baptized  by  Rev.  Jason  Lee,  superintendent  of  Oregon  Missions. 

That  Dr.  Richmond  recognized  the  fact  that  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  mission  at  Nisqually  was  intended  to 
have  an  important  bearing  upon  the  American  claim  to 
the  Oregon  country  is  evident  from  the  following  cor- 
respondence. 

In  answer  to  a  communication  in  the  Seattle  Weekly 
Chronicle  of  July  12,  1883,  touching  the  mission  estab- 


108  The  Conquerors 

lished  by  Jason  Lee  at  Nisqually  in  1840,  Dr.  Richmond 
furnishes  an  article  in  the  Tacoma  Neivs  of  April  8, 
1884.    We  give  a  few  excerpts,  as  follows : 

Very  few  persons  seem  to  comprehend  the  logic  or  the 
purpose  of  the  Board  of  Missions  in  sending  a  large  number 
of  men  and  women  to  Oregon.  .  .  .  The  contravening  claims 
of  the  United  States  and  the  British  Governments  were  held 
in  abeyance  by  the  treaty  of  joint  occupancy.  .  .  .  The  Hud- 
son Bay  Company  and  its  subsidiary  organization,  the  Puget 
Sound  Agricultural  Company,  had  stretched  their  army  of  occu- 
pation over  the  territory  and  were  urging  the  British  Govern- 
ment to  hold  fast  to  the  country. 

They  had  sheep  and  herds  of  cattle,  and  dairy  farms,  with 
shepherds,  herders,  and  servants  to  conduct  them.     .     .     . 

In  1824  the  Russian  Government  recognized  the  claim  of 
the  United  States  to  the  country  south  of  the  line  54°  40' 
north  latitude,  in  a  convention  that  bound  them  severally  to 
make  no  conflicting  settlements  north  or  south  of  that  line  by 
their  different  nationalities. 

In  1 81 8  a  treaty  of  joint  occupancy  was  entered  into  between 
the  United  States  and  the  British  Government.  .  .  .  Under 
this  condition  of  things  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  had  full 
sway. 

Their  jurisdiction  was  acknowledged  by  their  servants  and 
employees.  They  had  British  or  Canadian  laws,  with  ofBcers 
and  magistrates  to  enforce  them. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  American  missionaries  and  settlers 
had  the  protection  of  no  law  until  they  themselves  created  a 
Provisional  Government,  and  my  old  friend,  George  Abcrncthy, 
was  elected  Governor  of  Oregon. 

From  the  time  that  Jason  Lee  was  sent  to  the  coast,  he 
and  the  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
labored  to  establish  a  foundation  of  proper  influences  and  prin- 
ciples that  would  be  helpful  to  the  emigrants  that  would  follow. 
In  the  meantime,  they  were  to  use  every  appliance  available  for 
the  betterment  of  the  condition  of  the  Indians. 

My  part  in  the  work  was  to  represent  American  citizenship 
and  American  enterprise  on  Puget  Sound.  I  had  no  complaints 
to  make  against   the   Hudson   Bay   Company   in   tlie   matter   of 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Couiitrij     109 

hospitality,  but  I  wish  it  distinctly  understood  that  they  received 
proper  compensation  for  the  favors  shown  and  the  help  granted. 

I  could  not  but  be  impressed  with  the  conviction  that  I  was 
regarded  as  an  intruder.  Nevertheless,  I  believed  that  the  soil 
upon  which  I  was  treading  belonged  to  the  United  States  and 
was  a  part  of  my  own  country. 

In  regard  to  the  possessory  rights  of  the  United  Stales  on 
the  Pacific  coast,  it  will  be  remembered  that,  in  the  Presidential 
campaign  of  1844  between  James  K.  Polk  and  Henry  Clay,  the 
oriflammc  of  the  Polk  banner  was,  "Fifty-four  forty  or  fight ;" 
and  it  is  quite  certain  that  if  the  position  of  the  President  had 
been  maintained  there  would  have  been  no  British  Columbia, 
and,  with  the  acquisition  of  California  and  the  purchase  of 
Alaska,  there  would  be  to-day  an  uninterrupted  coast  line  of 
United  States  territory  from  the  Arctic  Sea  to  the  Gulf  of 
California. 

Tyndall,  South  Dakota,  March  27,  1884. 

John  P.  Richmond. 

The  ai^rcemcnt  referred  to  by  Dr.  Richmond  between 
the  Russian  and  the  United  States  Governments  was  a 
recognition  by  both  of  these  contracting  parties  of  the 
rightfuhicss  of  the  American  claim  to  the  ownership  of 
the  Pacific  coast  south  of  Alaska,  north  of  Mexico,  and 
west  of  the  Rocky  Alountains.  This,  together  with  the 
fact,  stated  elsewhere  in  these  pages,  that  the  United 
States  Government  had  in  1S03  purchased  the  rights 
and  claims  of  France  and  Spain  to  Oregon,  gave  great 
strength  to  the  contention  of  the  Democratic  Party  in 
1844,  that  the  rights  of  ownership  to  all  of  the  original 
Oregon  country  inhered  in  the  Government  of  the  United 
States.  Also,  as  previously  stated,  added  strength  was 
given  to  the  claim  of  the  United  States  in  the  fact  that 
American  traders  and  trappers  were  the  first  to  occupy 
and  take  possession  of  the  Pacific  coast  country,  not 
so  much,  perhaps,  with  the  intention  of  forming  the 
nucleus  of  an  American  settlement  and  commonwealth, 


110  The  Conquerors 

but,  rather,  with  the  purpose  of  exploiting  the  country. 
They,  nevertheless,  as  compared  with  the  subjects  of 
Great  Britain,  were  the  first  to  occupy  the  Oregon 
country. 

At  the  time  of  Rev,  Jason  Lee's  visit  to  Illinois,  in 
1838,  Dr.  Richmond  was  stationed  at  Jacksonville.  He 
became  enthused  with  the  descriptions  of  the  Oregon 
country  given  by  Air.  Lee,  and  with  many  others  de- 
cided to  go  to  the  Pacific  coast.  In  sermons  and  ad- 
dresses throughout  that  country,  he  supplemented  the 
work  of  Jason  Lee  and  helped  to  make  that  region  the 
great  stamping-ground  of  the  early  emigrations  to  Ore- 
gon. 

After  a  year  and  a  half  of  mission  work  in  Oregon, 
his  health  failed,  and  he  returned  to  the  Illinois  Con- 
ference and  was  stationed  at  Springfield,  Quincy,  and 
other  points. 

In  1854  his  health  failed  again,  and  he  was  obliged 
to  give  up  the  active  work  of  the  ministry. 

Dr.  Richmond  was  a  graduate  of  the  Pennsylvania 
L^niversity.  He  was  a  physician  and  also  a  minister  and 
a  member  of  the  Illinois  Conference.  He  sat  in  the 
Senate  of  Illinois  while  Abraham  Lincoln  was  a  member 
of  the  Lower  House.  He  was  speal<er  of  the  Lower 
House  when  Chief  Justice  Fuller  and  Gen.  John  A. 
Logan  occupied  seats  in  that  body.  He  was  chosen  by 
the  Electoral  College  of  his  State  to  cast  its  vote  for 
President  in  1856.  He  was  elected  to  membership  in 
two  constitutional  State  conventions.  He  was  superin- 
tendent of  schools  eight  years.  His  election  to  these 
positions  of  trust  and  honor  came  largely  as  the  result 
of  the  knowledge  the  people  had  of  him  in  his  ex- 
tensive ministrations  in  the  Churches  and  his  efforts 
throughout  that  country  in  behalf  of  Oregon. 


DR.  JOHN  P.  RICHMOND.  MRS.  AMERICA  RICHMOND. 


DR.  OREGON   RICHMOND.  FRANCIS  RICHMOND. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     111 

The  mission  settlement  established  at  Nisqually,  and 
the  events  associated  therewith,  made  the  efforts  to 
secure  American  supremacy  in  the  Puget  Sound  country 
operative  and  effective. 

Mrs.  Richmond's  first  name  being  America  was  a 
remarkable  co-incidence  associated  with  the  establishment 
of  the  American  settlement  at  Nisqually.  Rev.  John  P. 
Richmond  was  born  August  7,  181 1,  in  Middleton,  Alary- 
land.    He  died  August  28,  1895. 

We  give  herewith  the  photos  of  the  members  of  this 
family,  whose  names,  birthplaces,  and  work  identify  them 
so  prominently  with  the  American  and  the  missionary 
history  of  Oregon, 

Expi^oRiNG  Expedition. 

A  naval  expedition,  under  the  command  of  Captain 
Charles  Wilkes,  sailed  from  Norfolk,  Va.,  August  9, 
1838.  The  squadron  under  his  command  embraced  the 
sloops  of  war  Vinccnnes  and  Peacock,  the  ship  Relief, 
the  brig  Porpoise,  and  the  tenders  Sea  Gull  and  Flying 
Pish. 

The  object  of  this  expedition,  as  stated  in  the  in- 
structions or  orders  given  Captain  Wilkes  by  the  Gov- 
ernment, was  to  make  examinations  in  the  waters  of  the 
southern  part  of  the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific  Oceans. 
He  was  also  directed  to  visit  the  islands  of  the  Pacific, 
and  was  expected  to  reach  the  Sandwich  Islands  in 
April,  1840,  where  he  would  be  met  by  a  store-ship 
with  a  supply  of  provisions  from  the  United  States. 
From  this  point  he  was  to  visit  the  northwest  coast  of 
North  America,  the  Columbia  River,  and  California. 

You  will  then  proceed  to  the  coast  of  Japan,  taking,  in  your 
route,   as   many    doubtful    islands    as    possible,   and    secure   in- 


112  The  Conquerors 

formation  that  will  shorten  the  route  of  vessels  to  and  from 
China. 

Having  completed  your  survey,  you  will  proceed  to  the  port 
of  Singapore,  where  it  is  probable  you  may  arrive  about  the 
first  of  April,  1841.  Here  you  will  meet  a  store  ship  from  the 
United   States.     .     .     . 

Having  completed  this  service,  you  will  return  to  the  United 
States  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

He  made  Cape  Disappointment,  at  the  month  of  the 
Columbia  River,  April  28,  1841.  The  Peacock  was  lost 
at  the  entrance  to  the  Columbia.    The  men  were  saved. 

Captain  Wilkes,  with  the  Vinccnnes  and  the  Porpoise, 
spent  the  summer  of  1841  in  the  Puget  Sound  country. 
He  entered  the  Straits  of  Juan  de  Fuca,  ]\Iay  i,  1841. 
He  made  investigations  in  line  with  his  instructions,  and 
gave  names  to  many  points  of  interest  in  this  region. 
Commencement  Bay,  on  the  shores  of  which  the 
city  of  Tacoma  is  located,  was  named  in  honor  of  the 
fact  that  at  this  place  he  began  his  labors. 

Speaking  of  the  mission  at  Nisqually,  he  says:  "I 
visited  Dr.  Richmond,  who  had  settled  here  and  occu- 
pied a  nice  log  house,  built  on  the  borders  of  one  of  the 
beautiful  prairies.  The  location  of  the  mission  house 
can  scarcely  be  surpassed." 

In  the  after  years  Captain  Wilkes  evidenced  his  loy- 
alty to  his  country  by  another  act,  better  known  in  his- 
tory than  the  one  just  narrated.  It  was  he  who  with 
his  good  ship  the  San  Jacinto  overtook  the  British 
steamer  Trent,  in  November,  1861,  at  sea  and,  firing 
across  her  bow,  compelled  her  to  give  up  Mason  and 
Slidell,  Confederate  envoys  sent  to  England  to  open  ne- 
gotiations in  behalf  of  the  Confederacy. 

If  the  Trent  had  not  been  intercepted,  thereby  per- 
mitting these  men  to  have  reached  England  ;  or,  had  there 
been   at   that   time   telegraphic   communication   between 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     113 

Eng^land  and  the  United  States,  so  that  the  report  of  the 
forcible  taking  of  these  men  from  the  custody  of  a 
British  ship  on  the  high  seas  could  have  been  imme- 
diately communicated  to  England,  war  would  most  likely 
have  ensued. 

The  delay  and  the  prompt  release  of  the  men,  ac- 
companied with  appropriate  words  of  apology,  were  the 
saving  factors  in  the  case. 

Captain  Charles  Wilkes  was  born  in  New  York,  April 
3,  1798.  He  entered  the  naval  service  of  the  United 
States  as  midshipman  in  1818.  He  was  commissioned 
as  lieutenant,  April  28,  1826.  At  the  time  of  his  death 
he  occupied  the  rank  of  Rear-Admiral  in  the  United 
States  Navy.  He  died  in  Washington,  D.  C,  February 
8,  1877. 

The  most  important  and  pre-eminently  the  greatest 
work  in  securing  American  supremacy  in  the  Pacific 
coast  country  was  the  colonization  movement  of  Jason 
Lee. 

One  of  the  purposes  of  the  Wilkes  expedition  was 
to  strengthen  this  work. 

The  naval  expedition,  in  its  relation  to  the  Oregon 
question,  was  an  auxiliary  movement.  It  was  an  ac- 
companiment of  and  a  supplement  to  the  work  of  Jason 
Lee. 

The  ships,  the  guns,  the  surveys  made,  the  naval 
display,  and  the  reports  published  of  the  work  done 
on  Puget  Sound  were  comparatively  valueless  only  as 
they  represented  the  authority  of  the  United  States  Gov- 
ernment in  strengthening  the  colonization  features  of 
the  movement  that  looked  to  the  occupancy  and  control 
of  Oregon. 

The  American  conquest  of  Oregon  came  not  as  the 
result  of  this  naval  expedition,  but,  rather,  as  the  cer- 
3 


114  The  Conquerors 

tain  and  the  legitimate  outcome  of  the  larger  settlement 
made  and  the  greater  influence  exerted  in  the  case  by 
the  American  missionaries  under  the  guiding  hand  of 
Jason  Lee,  as  compared  with  the  counter  movement  made 
by  the  Hudson  Bay  Company. 

Mr.  Lee  visited  Washington  in  the  winter  of  1838. 
His  intention  to  take  to  the  Pacific  coast  a  large  mis- 
sionary expedition  as  soon  as  arrangement  could  be  made 
for  its  organization  and  equipment  was  made  known, 
whereupon  the  officers  of  the  Government  granted  him 
financial  assistance  for  the  establishment  of  his  American 
mission  settlements  at  Nisqually  and  elsewhere  in  the 
Oregon  country. 

Both  the  missionary  and  the  naval  expedition  were 
events  that,  under  the  conditions  that  then  prevailed, 
were  especially  significant,  as  the  following  facts  will 
indicate : 

I.  The  claim  and  rights  of  the  United  States  in 
the  Puget  Sound  country  were  being  jeopardized  by  the 
action  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  and  its  ally,  the 
Puget  Sound  Agricultural  Company,  In  that  important 
memorial  presented  to  Congress  in  1839  by  Rev.  David 
Leslie  and  about  seventy  residents  of  the  American 
mission  settlement  in  the  Willamette  Valley,  reference 
is  given  to  the  fact  that  the  representatives  of  Great 
Britain  claimed  exclusive  ownership  of  the  country  north 
of  the  Columbia  River. 

The  establishment  of  the  American  mission  settle- 
ment at  Nisqually,  and  the  naval  demonstration  accom- 
panying it,  were  intended  to  counteract  this  movement 
for  British  possession. 

The  following  are  excerpts  from  this  memorial: 

The  English  Government  has  had  a  surveying  party  in  this 
field   for  two  years,  making  accurate   surveys   of   its   bays  and 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     115 

harbors,  and  recently  the  said  Government  has  made  a  grant 
to  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  of  all  the  lands  between  the 
Columbia  River  and  Puget  Sound,  and  the  said  company  is 
actually  exercising  unequivocal  acts  of  ownership  over  said  lands 
and  opening  extensive  farms.    ,    .    . 

Their  declaration  is,  that  they  own  and  will  hold  that  portion 
of  Oregon  north  of  the  Columbia  River.    .    .    . 

And  your  petitioners  represent  that  the  said  territory  is  an 
invaluable  possession  to  the  American  Union ;  that  in  and  about 
Puget  Sound  are  the  only  harbors  of  easy  access  and  com- 
modious and  safe  upon  the  coast  of  the  territory,  and  that  a 
great  part  of  the  country  is  rich  in  timber  and  valuable  in 
minerals.    .    .    . 

In  the  foregoing  facts  is  the  key  to  the  interest  taken 
by  the  Government  in  Jason  Lee's  missionary  expedi- 
tion, as  embraced  in  the  otitfitting  of  the  Lausanne,  the 
establishment  of  an  American  mission  settlement  at 
Nisqually,  and  sending  a  naval  expedition  to  attest  its 
claim  of  ownership  to  the  Puget  Sound  country. 

These  acts  of  the  British  Government  demanded  and 
received  prompt  and  vigorous  counter  action  by  the 
United  States  Government. 

The  headquarters  and  place  of  rendezvous  for  the 
naval  expedition  was  at  Nisqually,  in  close  proximity  to 
the  American  mission  settlement.  The  making  this  point 
the  base  of  operations  was  no  doubt  in  keeping  with 
instructions  and  may  not  have  been  altogether  a  matter 
of  choice. 

2.  The  kindred  relation  of  the  missionary  expedition 
under  Jason  Lee  that  reached  Oregon,  May  21,  1840,  and 
the  naval  expedition  under  Captain  Charles  Wilkes,  is 
seen  in  the  fact  that  they  were  contemporaneous  events, 
and  the  effect  of  their  work  in  its  relation  to  the  Oregon 
question  was  identical. 

The  whole  trend  of  the  action  of  the  United  States 
Government    touching   the    adjustment    of   this    matter 


116  The  Conquerors 

shows  that  the  purpose  and  aim  was  to  settle  it  without 
a  resort  to  war,  if  possible;  and  the  only  way  this  could 
be  done  was  by  strengthening  the  colonization  movement, 
through  and  by  which  the  joint  occupancy  deal  would 
terminate  in  favor  of  the  claim  of  the  United  States. 

The  plans  Mr.  Lee  had  formulated  for  the  occupancy 
of  the  Oregon  country  formed  the  basis  for  the  financial 
assistance  granted  him  by  the  Government,  also  for  send- 
ing the  naval  expedition  to  these  waters,  and  for  the 
correspondence  that  took  place  between  ]\Ir,  Lee  and 
]\Ir.  Gushing,  referred  to  elsewhere  in  these  pages. 

This  action  on  the  part  of  the  Government  was  in- 
tended, not  only  to  assist  Mr.  Lee  in  the  colonization 
features  of  his  work,  but  it  was  also  intended  to  demon- 
strate and  emphasize  the  purpose  of  the  United  States 
to  maintain  its  claim  to  the  Puget  Sound  country. 

3.  The  kindred  relation  of  the  work  of  Jason  Lee 
and  Captain  Wilkes  is  seen  in  the  fact  that,  during  the 
stay  of  Captain  Wilkes  on  Puget  Sound  he  sought  an 
interview  with  Mr.  Lee,  and  made  (at  that  time)  the 
difficult  journey  to  the  Columbia  River  for  this  purpose, 
a  thing  he  would  not  have  been  likely  to  do  but  for  the 
vital  and  the  similar  relation  they  sustained  to  American 
interests  on  Puget  Sound. 

4.  The  fact  that  Captain  Wilkes  made  extensive  sur- 
veys and  investigations  in  the  Puget  Sound  country ;  that 
his  stay  therein  was  prolonged,  embracing  several  months 
beyond  the  time  indicated  by  the  Government  in  its 
orders  to  him ;  that  his  headquarters  were  at  Nisqually ; 
that  he  gave  to  this  work  his  personal  supervision ;  that 
he  gave  names  to  many  points  in  the  Puget  Sound 
country,  is  very  significant  in  connection  with  the  fact 
that  in  the  original  orders  given  him  by  the  Government 
before  leaving  the  Atlantic  coast,  Puget  Sound  is  not 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     117 

mentioned ;  it  is  not  even  hinted  that  he  should  visit 
these  waters.  That  there  was  some  reason  for  this  chancre 
in  the  plans  of  the  expedition  is  certain.  He  either  had 
secret  orders  to  this  effect  when  he  left  the  Atlantic 
coast,  or  supplementary  orders  reached  him  at  Honolulu. 
It  is  quite  certain  that  the  facts  stated  in  the  memorial 
herein  referred  to,  and  tlie  information  furnished  the 
officers  of  the  Government  by  Jason  Lee  in  the  fall  of 
1838  as  to  the  conditions  that  prevailed  north  of  the 
Columbia  River,  is  responsible  for  the  action  of  Captain 
Wilkes  in  the  work  of  his  expedition  on  PufT^et  Sound. 

5.  In  view  of  the  British  claim  to  the  country  north 
of  the  Columbia  River,  the  action  of  the  United  States 
Government  herein  referred  to  was  wise  and  timely  and 
possessed  a  far-reachino-  significance  in  maintaining  the 
rightfulness  of  the  claim  of  the  United  States  to  the 
Puget  Sound  country. 

By  the  treaty  of  1846,  the  49tli  parallel  was  made 
the  division  line  between  the  American  and  the  British 
possessions.  While  this  settlement  of  the  case  was  not 
what  it  should  have  been  from  the  American  stand- 
point, or  what  the  equities  of  the  case  demanded,  it  was 
nevertheless  a  more  rightful  adjustment  than  was  em- 
braced in  the  British  claim  previous  to  the  establishment 
of  the  American  mission  settlement  at  Nisqually  and  the 
naval  demonstration  in  Puget  Sound  waters. 

Mr.  C.  B.  Bagley  well  says:  "The  treaty  of  1846, 
which  surrendered  that  part  of  the  Pacific  coast  country 
north  of  the  49th  degree,  is  a  blot  upon  American 
diplomacy  and  the  contemporaneous  statesmanship  of  that 
period." 

The  San  Juan  dispute  was  settled  in  favor  of  the 
United  States  in  1871  by  arbitration,  the  Emperor  of 
Germany  being  the  arbiter. 


118  The  Conquerors 

First  Fourth  op  July  Celebration. 

The  first  Fourth  of  July  celebration  held  in  North 
America,  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  was  that  inaugu- 
rated by  Captain  Wilkes  and  the  missionaries  July  5, 
1841,  at  Nisqually.  In  describing  it,  Captain  Wilkes 
says : 

Wishing  to  give  the  crew  a  holiday,  they  were  allowed  to 
barbecue  an  ox,  which  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  sold  me.  The 
place  selected  was  one  corner  of  Mission  Prairie.  All  was  bustle 
and  activity  on  the  morning  of  the  5th,  as  the  4th  fell  on 
Sunday.  The  men  were  mustered  on  the  deck  in  clean  white 
frocks  and  trousers.  It  was  very  gratifying  to  me  to  see  them 
marching,  their  clothes  as  white  as  snow,  with  their  happy  and 
contented  faces.  Two  brass  howitzers  were  carried  to  the  prairie 
to  fire  the  usual  salutes.  The  procession  stopped  at  Fort  Nis- 
qually and  gave  three  cheers,  which  were  returned  with  a  few 
voices. 

Dr.  McLoughlin  was  expected  to  join  us,  but,  having  lost 
his  way,  did  not  arrive  until  the  next  day.  He  dined  with  us 
on  the  man-of-war,  and  when  he  left  the  yards  were  manned 
and  three  cheers  were  given  for  the  noble  man  under  whose 
orders  so  many  kindnesses  had  been  bestowed  upon  us. 

There  were  present  on  this  notable  occasion  over 
five  hundred  people,  viz. :  About  sixty  persons  embracing 
naval  officers,  missionaries,  and  men  from  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company's  trading  post ;  one  hundred  marines,  and 
about  four  hundred  Indians.  Captain  Charles  Wilkes 
was  the  officer  of  the  day.  Prayer  was  offered  by  Dr. 
Richmond.  The  Declaration  of  Independence  was  read 
by  the  sergeant  of  marines.  The  Scriptures  were  read 
by  Captain  Wilkes.  Two  songs  were  sung,  viz.,  "The 
Star-Spangled  Banner"  and  "My  Country,  T  is  of  Thee," 
tune,  "America."  The  sergeant  of  marines  led  the  sing- 
ing, and  many  in  the  audience  joined  in  rendering  these 
patriotic  hymns.    The  oration  of  the  day  was  delivered 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     119 

by  Dr.  Richmond.    It  was  the  first  of  its  kind  ever  heard 
on  the  Pacific  coast  side  of  North  America. 
We  give  a  few  extracts  from  this  address: 

.  .  .  Wc  entertain  the  belief  that  the  whole  of  this 
magnificent  region  of  country,  so  rich  in  the  bounties  of  nature, 
is  destined  to  become  a  part  of  the  American  Republic.  .  .  . 
The  time  will  come  when  these  hills  and  valleys  will  be  peopled 
by  our  enterprising  countrymen,  and  when  they  will  contain 
cities  and  farms  and  manufacturing  establishments,  and  when 
the  benefits  of  home  and  civil  life  will  be  enjoyed  by  the  people. 
.  .  .  They  will  assemble  on  the  4th  of  July  as  we  have  done 
to-day  and  renew  their  fidelity  to  the  principles  of  liberty  em- 
bodied in  the  "Declaration  of  Independence,"  that  we  have  heard 
read  to-day.  .  .  .  The  future  years  will  witness  wonderful 
things  in  the  settlement,  the  growth,  and  development  of  the 
United  States,  and  especially  of  this  coast.  The  growth  may 
embrace  the  advance  of  our  dominion  to  the  frozen  regions  of 
the  North,  and  south  to  the  narrow  strip  of  land  that  separates 
us  from  the  lower  half  of  the  American  continent. 

In  this  new  world  there  is  sure  to  arise  one  of  the  greatest 
nations  of  the  earth.  .  .  .  Your  names  and  mine  may  not 
appear  in  the  records,  but  those  of  our  descendants  will.  .  .  . 
The  illustrious  founders  of  the  American  Republic  declared 
against  the  union  of  Church  and  State;  in  this  they  did  well, 
yet  it  is  undeniably  true  that  the  world's  civilization  of  to-day 
is  inseparably  connected  with  the  religion  of  Christ,  and  it 
could  not  survive  if  the  Christlife  and  Spirit  were  eliminated 
from  it.  .  .  .  Our  mission  to  these  children  of  the  forest  is 
to  so  teach  them  the  truth  of  the  Gospel  that  they  shall  be 
fitted  for  the  responsibilities  of  intelligent  Christian  citizenship. 
.  .  .  We  are  here  also  to  assist  in  laying  the  foundation 
stones  of  a  great  American  commonwealth  on  these  Pacific 
shores. 

This  was  a  remarkable  occasion. 

1st.  It  was  the  initial  number  of  a  series  of  like 
patriotic  gatherings  that  since  that  time  have  asseinbled 
on  the  Pacific  coast. 

2d.  It  was  cosmopolitan  in  character.  Among  the 
naval  officers  and   marines,  the   representatives   of   the 


120  The  Conquerors 

Hudson  Bay  Company,  and  the  large  number  of  Indians 
present,  were  many  nationalities,  races,  and  tribes.  It 
was  a  diverse  and  mixed  gathering.  It  is  doubtless  true 
that  a  much  larger  number  of  Indians  were  present  than 
have  ever  assembled  at  any  subsequent  4th  of  July  cele- 
bration on  the  coast. 

3d.  The  address  of  Dr.  Richmond  was  worthy  of 
the  occasion.  In  the  unfolding  light  of  the  intervening 
years,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  his  utterances  were  prophetic. 
.  .  .  It  should  be  remembered  that  these  statements 
were  made  when  the  entire  Oregon  country  was  claimed 
by  England  and  when  the  purchase  of  Alaska  and  the 
occupation  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  by  the  Government 
of  the  United  States  were  not  thought  of. 

That  Captain  Wilkes,  his  officers  and  men,  and  the 
missionaries  were  patriotic  Americans  is  evidenced  by 
their  hoisting  the  Stars  and  Stripes  on  the  lake  shore 
on  the  Nation's  natal  day  and  gathering  beneath  its 
folds  to  ofifer  prayer  and  give  patriotic  expression  to 
their  feelings  in  songs  and  speeches.  They  took  their 
guns  and  flags  with  them  when  they  left  the  grounds, 
but  the  imprint  of  their  patriotism  remained  on  the  spot 
where  they  had  planted  the  emblem  of  their  Nation's 
greatness. 

Mrs.  America  Richmond  and  all  the  rest  of  the 
Americans  present  on  that  memorable  occasion  no  doubt 
shared  the  pleasure  in  giving  the  lake  an  American  name, 
so  they  called  it  American  Lake ;  and  in  view  of  the 
circumstances  then,  and  those  which  followed,  the  name 
is  worthy  of  being  written  in  letters  of  gold.  The 
name  was  an  inspiration,  and  the  events  that  occurred 
upon  its  shores  were  an  expression  of  the  patriotism  of 
those  who  participated  in  them.  It  was  also  a  comj)H- 
ment  to  the  woman   whose  name  and   presence  added 


CAPT.   CHARLES  WILKES. 


CHIEF  SLUGANIUS  KOQUILTON. 


NISOUALLV    MISSION  HOUSE 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     121 

much  interest  to  this  remarkable  occasion.  The  Indians 
called  this  beautiful  body  of  water  "Spoot  Sylth,"  but 
since  the  holding  of  this  celebration  it  has  been  known 
by  its  present  name,  "American  Lake."  This  was  the 
first  4th  of  July  celebration  held  in  North  America  west 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  that  held  at  Champoeg,  near 
Salem,  Oregon,  in  1843,  being  the  second.  Both  of  them 
were  under  the  guidance  of  the  missionaries  and  were 
held  on  or  contiguous  to  the  mission  grounds  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Commemorative   Cei^Ebration. 

Under  the  auspices  of  the  Washington  State  His- 
torical Society,  of  which  Hon.  R.  L.  McCormick  is 
President,  and  Prof.  W.  H.  Gilstrap  is  Secretary,  a  cele- 
bration commemorative  of  that  of  sixty-five  years  ago 
was  held  on  these  historic  grounds  July  5,  1906. 

Through  the  efforts  of  the  officers  named,  a  monu- 
ment of  appropriate  design  had  been  erected,  which  it 
was  proposed  to  unveil  and  dedicate. 

PROGRAM. 
President  of  the  Day,  Hon.  R.  L.  McCormick. 

Song — "America." 

Invocation,  Rev.  Geo.  F.  Whitworth,  D.  D.,  President  of  the 
Washington  Pioneer  Association. 

Address — "The  Revohitionary  Idea,"  Hon.  C.  H.  Hanford,  Judge 
of  the  United  States  District  Court. 

"Historical  Sketch  of  the  Event  We  Commemorate,"  Prof.  W.  H. 
Gilstrap,  Secretary,  Ferry  Museum,  Tacoma. 

Address — "The  Second  and  Subsequent  Fourth  of  July  Celebra- 
tions Held  in  Pierce  County,"  Hon.  Thomas  W.  Prosh, 
former  Proprietor  and  Editor  of  the  Post  Intelligencer, 
Seattle. 

Oration — "Problems  of  the  Pacific,"  Prof.  S.  B.  L.  Penrose, 
President  Whitman  College,  Walla  Walla. 

Talk  by  the  only  known  survivor  of  the  original  celebration, 
Chief  Slugamus  Koquilton,  of  Muckelshoot,  Wash. 


122  The  Conquerors 

He  described  the  celebration  of  1841  thus: 

They  fired  the  big  guns  many  times.  .  .  .  The  soldiers 
marched  all  step  as  one  man.  .  .  .  They  carried  flags,  and 
had  music  with  fifes  and  drums  and  horns.  .  .  .  They  roast 
ox.  .  .  .  Big  dinner.  .  .  .  Race  horses.  ...  A  great 
many  Indians  from  country  all  about.  .  .  . 
Address — "Bird's-eye  View  of  the  Celebration  of  1841,  and  the 

Events  That  Led  Up  to  It,"  Rev.  Albert  Atwood,  of  the 

Puget   Sound   Conference. 

Unveiling  the  Monument. 
Song — "Star-Spangled  Banner." 

Address — "Historical    Places    and    Occasions,"    Governor   Albert 
E.  Mead. 

Two  young  women,  Miss  Zaidee  E.  Bonney  and  Miss 
Ella  M.  Todd,  descendants  of  pioneers  and  Daughters  of 
the  American  Revolution,  assisted  in  these  ceremonies. 

Prof.  W.  H.  Gilstrap  well  says:  "A  more  ideal  spot 
for  holding  a  Fourth  of  July  celebration  can  not  be  found 
on  the  Pacific  coast,"  and  we  may  safely  add  not  in  the 
United  States.  The  ground  rises  from  the  stand  in  front 
and  on  either  side,  giving  the  place  an  appearance  not 
unlike  that  of  a  great  amphitheater. 

The  Washington  State  Historical  Society  will  erect 
monuments  at  the  place,  at  Vancouver,  Wash.,  where 
Jason  Lee  preached  the  first  Gospel  sermon  delivered  by 
a  Protestant  minister  west  of  the  Cascade  Mountains. 
Also  at  the  American  Mission  Settlement  at  Nisqually. 
Also  at  the  place  where  stood  Captain  Wilkes'  observa- 
tory, and  on  the  spot  at  Steilacoom,  near  Nisqually,  where 
was  erected  the  first  Protestant  Church  in  North  America 
west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  north  of  the  Columbia 
River,  built  by  J.  F.  Devore,  in  1853.  Also  a  historic 
shaft  that  will  appropriately  mark  the  place  in  the  vicinity 
of  Nisqually  where  an  important  treaty  was  made  with 
the  Indians. 


C<  )MMF.MORATI\K   MONUMENT. 


HON.   K.   I..  MlC(JR.MICK.  I'KOK.   W.   H.   t, 11, STRAP. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     123 

It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  note  that  the  first  Fourth  of 
July  celebration  in  the  Puget  Sound  Country,  held  under 
the  exclusive  control  of  the  permanent  settlers,  was  had 
in  Olympia  in  1852,  and  Hon.  D.  R.  Bigelow,  a  pioneer 
citizen  of  that  place,  and  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  took  an  active  interest  in 
the  inauguration  of  the  movement,  and  delivered  the 
oration. 

Washington  was  at  that  time  a  part  of  Oregon.  Mr. 
Bigelow  urged  upon  his  auditors  the  importance  of  taking 
immediate  steps  to  secure  the  formation  of  an  independ- 
ent territory. 

The  action  taken  that  day  culminated,  in  1853,  in 
securing  a  territorial  government  for  the  country  now 
known  as  the  State  of  Washington.  The  name  suggested 
at  that  time  was  "Columbia." 

NisQUALLY   Historically. 

This  name  is  of  Indian  origin.  Greater  historic 
interest  attaches  to  this  place  than  to  any  other  point  in 
what  is  now  the  State  of  Washington. 

The  preliminary  work  incident  to  the  establishment 
of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company's  trading  post  at  Nisqually 
was  begun  in  1830. 

The  fort  and  most  of  the  other  buildings  were  erected 
in  1833.  At  tiiat  time  the  Puget  Sound  Country  was 
inhabited  by  Indians  in  large  numbers,  and  an  extensive 
fur  trade  was  carried  on  with  them. 

Mr.  Samuel  Clark,  of  Salem,  Ore.,  says : 

The  Pugct  Sound  Agricultural  Company  was  organized  in 
1838.  Its  prospectus  was  issued  by  W.  F.  Tolmie,  Forbes  Barclay, 
and  George  B.  Roberts. 

It  was  composed  of  members  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company,  and  many  others. 


124  The  Conquerors 

The  old  company  had  charge  of  the  fur  trade,  and 
the  new  company  controlled  the  si  ores  and  gave  special 
attention  to  stock  raising.  Herds  and  flocks,  sleek  with 
fatness,  and  numbered  by  thousands,  roamed  over  the 
rich  bunch  grass  lands  of  what  is  now  Pierce  County. 

According  to  a  count  made  in  the  early  fifties,  there 
were  at  that  time  25,000  sheep,  7,000  horn  cattle,  and 
many  horses  grazing  on  these  plains. 

It  is  claimed  that  the  holdings  of  the  company  em- 
braced several  hundred  thousand  acres.  Much  of  this 
land  that  was  then  prairie,  and  furnished  excellent  pasture 
for  stock,  is  now  covered  with  fir  and  other  small  wood 
growths. 

The  nutritious  grass  of  the  former  years  is  gone. 
These  lands  were  then  known  as  the  Nisqually  plains,  also 
as  the  American  plains.  The  name  American  was  given 
to  them  and  to  the  lake  in  that  vicinity  because  of  the 
mission  settlement  established  there  in  1840  by  Jason  Lee. 

Mr.  Ezra  Meeker  says: 

People  now  traversing  what  is  popularly  known  as  the 
Nisqually  Plains  will  hardly  realize  that  in  the  years  ago  these 
bare,  gravelly  prairies  supplied  a  rich  grass  of  exceeding  fatten- 
ing quality  and  of  sufficient  quantity  to  fatten  many  thousand 
head  of  stock.  Nearly  a  half  million  acres  of  this  land  lie 
between  the  Nisqually  and  the  Puyallup  Rivers,  an  ideal  park 
of  shade  and  open  land,  of  rivulets  and  lakes,  of  natural  roads 
and  beautiful  scenery. — "Pioneer  Rcminiscenees  of  Pugct  Sound," 
page  119. 

In  1849  the  Snoqualmie  Indians  attacked  Fort 
Nisqually,  and  killed  one  white  man,  and  wounded  two 
or  three  others.  In  consequence  of  this  the  United  States 
Government  established  a  military  post  about  six  miles 
north  of  Fort  Nisqually.  They  called  it  Fort  Stcilacoom. 
From  the  date  of  the  cstablislimcnt  of  the  garrison,  in 
1849,  to  the  date  of  the  purcliaso,  in   1869,  the  United 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Countnj     125 

States  Government  paid  a  monthly  rental  of  $50  to  the 
Puget  Sound  Agricultural  Company. 

The  amount  of  land  covered  by  the  lease  was  one 
mile  square,  and  embraced  640  acres. 

The  tentative  rights  of  the  Puget  Sound  Agricultural 
Company  were  purchased  in  1869  by  the  United  States 
Government  for  $600,000,  $350,000  of  which  was  paid  to 
the  Hudson  Bay  Company  and  the  remainder  to  the  Puget 
Sound  Agricultural  Company. 

The  military  post  at  Fort  Steilacoom  was  abandoned 
in  1867. 

The  soldiers  at  this  fort  were  transferred  to  Fort 
Wrangel,  Alaska,  immediately  after  its  purchase  by  the 
United  States. 

This  property,  with  the  residences  and  barracks 
thereon,  was  utilized  for  asylum  purposes  in  1871,  and 
the  Legislature  of  that  year  memorialized  Congress  to 
donate  the  Military  Reserve,  with  its  buildings  and  appur- 
tenances, to  the  then  territory,  now  State  of  Washington. 
The  transfer  was  subsequently  made,  and  the  present 
commodious  and  stately  buildings  of  the  insane  asylum 
were  erected  on  these  beautiful  grounas.  The  buildings 
were  completed  in  1887. 

First  RivUGious  Servick    in  Oregon, 

The  first  etTort  made  in  the  Oregon  country  to  in- 
struct the  Indians  in  religious  things,  to  point  them  God- 
ward  and  teach  them  the  importance  of  living  upright, 
godly  lives,  was  put  forth  by  Dr.  W.  E.  Tolmie  and  Mr. 
Heron,  officers  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company's  trading- 
post  at  Nisqually,  beginning  in  1833,  with  the  opening 
of  the  post. 

He  closed  the  company's  store  on  Sunday,  having 
previously  given  notice  that  no  skins  or  furs  would  be 


126  The  Conquerors 

received  on  that  day.  He  had  some  form  of  reHgious 
service.  He  says  that  at  first  the  Indians  were  inchned 
to  treat  the  subject  with  indifference,  but  afterward  they 
gave  respectful  attention,  and  many  of  them  practiced  the 
teachings  given. 

Mr.  Heron  kept  a  daily  journal,  in  which  he  says : 

Saturday,  December  9,  1833. — A  large  party  of  Indians  have 
come  in  order  to  pass  the  Sunday  with  us. 

Sunday,  December  loth. — The  natives  assembled  and  re- 
quested me  to  point  out  to  them  how  it  was  proper  for  them 
to  act  in  regard  to  the  Divine  Being.  I  told  them  that  they 
should  not  kill  each  other ;  that  they  should  not  steal ;  that  they 
should  love  one  another,  and  pray  to  God,  or,  as  they  say, 
to  the  Great  Chief  who  resides  on  high.  In  fact,  I  did  my 
best  to  make  them  understand  good  from  evil.  They  promised 
fair,  and  had  their  devotional  dance,  for,  without  it,  they  would 
think  very  little  of  what  we  say  to  them. 

Mr.  Heron  was,  no  doubt,  a  member  of  the  Church 
of  England,  and  used  the  Episcopal  service. 

The  accompanying  map  shows  the  relative  points  of 
interest  that  did  so  much  to  bring  this  Puget  Sound 
country  under  American  control.  It  gives :  The  position 
of  the  ships  of  Captain  Wilkes;  the  location  of  his  ob- 
servatory; the  mission  house  and  Richmond  Hill,  the 
grounds  where  the  Fourth  of  July  celebration  was  held,  at 
the  south  end  of  American  Lake,  and  the  mouth  of  the 
Nisqually  River;  also  the  locations  of  the  old  and  new 
forts  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company.  The  name  of  the 
creek  that  passes  through  this  historical  ground  is 
"Sequallitchew."    It  is  a  beautiful  stream  of  pure  water. 

Dr.  McLoughlin  wrote  letters  to  Mr.  A.  C.  Anderson, 
at  Fort  Nisqually,  introducing  Jason  Lee,  in  which  he 
requested  Mr.  Anderson  to  open  the  way  for  Mr.  Lee  to 
establish  a  mission  at  Nisqually.  These  papers  bear  date 
of  1838. 


j^jUgi^fW^^. 


^  ^^,  '-^ 


M)Ri'   NlSt^UALLV,   1843. 


FIRST  CHURCH  ERECTED  IN  THE  OREGON  COUNTRY  NORTH 
OF  THE  COLUMBIA  RIVER 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     127 

Dr.  McLoughlin  also  gave  orders  to  Dr.  Tolmie, 
when  Dr.  Richmond  and  those  accompanying  him  came 
to  Nisqtially  in  1840,  to  furnish  him  with  cows  in  sufficient 
numher  to  supply  the  mission  with  milk,  and  to  use  his 
kindly  offices  in  making  the  missionaries  comfortahle. 

It  was  my  privilege  to  visit  sometime  since  at  the 
hospitable  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edward  Huggins,  where 
I  saw  these  letters.  Mr,  and  IMrs.  Huggins  live  in  the 
commodious  dwelling  erected  by  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pan_v,  of  which  he  was  an  officer,  on  the  ground  where 
was  built  the  second  fort,  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
from  the  site  of  the  first  fort  built  in  this  region. 

They  were  married  at  their  present  home,  in  1857, 
by  the  Rev,  G,  M,  Berry,  at  that  time  pastor  of  our  Church 
in  Steilacoom,  and  Chaplain  of  the  United  States  Army 
post  north  of  that  town. 

General  A.  V.  Kautz,  Colonel  McKibbon,  and  Lieu- 
tenant Shaaf,  United  States  military  officers  stationed  at 
Fort  Steilacoom,  were  present  at  the  wedding, 

Mr,  Huggins  tells  of  a  call  made  by  the  Rev,  J,  F. 
DeVore  at  Fort  Nisqually  in  the  fall  of  1853, 

The  story  is  as  follows:  "It  was  the  day  before 
Thanksgiving.  The  visit  was  made  in  the  interest  of  the 
building  fund  of  the  Steilacoom  Church,  He  expressed 
gratification  over  the  appearance  of  things  at  the  fort, 
and  the  result  of  his  visit.  A  number  of  turkeys  in  a 
field  nearby  attracted  the  attention  of  the  reverend  gen- 
tleman, and  he  made  allusion  to  them,  Dr,  Tolmie  sug- 
gested that  he  could  have  a  turkey  if  he  could  catch  the 
bird  himself," 

Our  brother  was  always  equal  to  an  emergency  of 
this  kind.  He  caught  one  of  the  largest  turkeys  in  the 
flock,  and  thus  provided  for  his  first  Thanksgiving  dinner 
on  the  Pacific  coast. 


CHAPTER  VI 
The  Oregon  Emigration  Movement 

Lee's  eloquent  plea  for  means  and  men 
Was  answered  promptly,  and  then 
Multitudes  to  the  rescue  came. 
While  prayers  as  incense  arose 
To  heaven,  for  God  was  leading  on. 
The  people  gave  profound  attention 
And  turned  their  thoughts  to  emigration 
To  the  land  beside  the  Western  sea. 
That  Jason  Lee  had  claimed  should  be 
A  part  of  our  own  domain. 

The;  purpose  to  establish  a  large  and  permanent 
American  colony  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  secure  an 
American  solution  of  the  Oregon  question,  was  formed 
in  the  mind  of  Jason  Lee  in  the  early  stages  of  his 
mission  work. 

Evidence  of  this  fact  appears: 

I.  In  the  reports  he  made  to  the  Missionary  Board, 
and  also  in  his  communications  to  the  press  of  that 
period. 

2d.  In  the  formation  of  a  Cattle  Company  in  the 
early  part  of  1837. 

3d.  In  the  determination  he  formed  in  1837,  and 
executed  in  1838  and  1839,  to  visit  the  Eastern  coast  and 
secure  a  large  reinforcement  for  his  Missionary  Colony. 

4th.  In  his  memorial  to  Congress,  that  he  prepared  in 
the  winter  of  1837  ^^^  1838,  in  which  the  importance  of 

128 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     129 

American  control  in  Oregon  is  advocated  with  great  vigor 
and  effectiveness. 

5lh.  In  his  matchless  appeals  in  behalf  of  Oregon, 
before  the  Missionary  Board,  the  officers  of  the  Govern- 
ment, and  the  people  of  the  United  States,  whereby  they 
became  enthusiastic  supporters  of  his  colonization  move- 
ment. 

6th.  In  the  large  provision  he  made  in  supplies  and 
equipment  for  his  great  reinforcement  in  1839. 

In  all  the  preparations  and  arrangements  described 
in  these  pages  is  clearly  foreshadowed  the  fact  that  he 
had  in  view  the  permanent  occupancy  and  control  of 
Oregon. 

Mr.  Lee,  in  his  forecast  of  events,  recognized  the 
fact  that  while  the  Indian  population  of  the  country  was 
decreasing,  the  white  population  would  increase.  That  he 
anticipated  this  result  is  evident. 

In  January,  1837,  he  wrote  to  the  Missionary  Board, 
in  New  York,  as  follows  : 

I  am  fully  of  the  opinion  that  this  country  will  settle 
ere  long,  and  if  you  can  send  us  a  few  good,  pious  settlers 
3'ou  will  aid  essentially  in  laying  a  good  foundation  for  the 
time  to  come  and  confer  an  incalculable  benefit  upon  the  people, 
which  will  be  felt  by  generations  yet  unborn.  Pious  men  we 
want  and  must  have  to  superintend  the  labor  of  the  country, 
but  they  are  not  to  be  had  here  at  present. 

What  prescience  was  lierc  manifested !  Less  than  a 
decade  justified  his  prophecy,  and  witnessed  its  fulfillment. 

The  Christian  Advocate  Journal  of  September  2, 
1837,  contains  a  long  letter  from  Jason  Lee  to  the  Board 
of  Managers  of  the  Missionary  Society — Mission  House, 
Willamette  River,  March  14th.  We  give  herewith  a  brief 
excerpt  from  this  important  letter: 

In  our  former  letters  we  sent  a  request  to  the  Board  to 
send  men  with  families,  and  also  apparatus   for  making  cloth, 

9 


130  The  Conquerors 

if  any  one  should  come  who  understands  the  business.     I  most 

vehemently  urge  the  Macedonian  cry,  "Come  over  and  help  us." 

Most  sincerely  and  affectionately, 

^^-rM^.^a.—tf — «--\^      <5j.^:_-< — f_^ 

In  his  statement  to  the  Board,  in  defense  of  his  col- 
onization work,  he  said:  "For  what  purpose  else  did  the 
Board  send  out  such  a  large  number  of  laymen." 

In  the  fall  of  1838  Jason  Lee  attended  the  session  of 
the  Illinois  Conference,  held  at  Alton,  111.,  beginning  Sep- 
tember 1 2th, 

He  had  with  him  five  Indians,  young  men  from 
Oregon.  He  and  his  Indian  boys  entered  the  city  and 
the  Conference  unannounced.  His  presence  and  his  talk 
created  a  wonderful  amount  of  interest  and  enthusiasm. 
The  business  of  the  Conference  was  suspended.  The  ven- 
erable bishop  embraced  Mr.  Lee.  Jason  Lee,  his  Indian 
proteges,  his  addresses  about  Oregon,  the  goodly  land, 
whose  hills  are  bathed  in  the  light  of  the  setting  sun,  and 
whose  shores  are  washed  by  the  waters  of  the  great  West- 
ern sea,  absorbed  attention,  and  were  subjects  of  conversa- 
tion in  the  homes,  the  stores  and  shops,  upon  the  streets, 
and  farms,  everywhere  throughout  that  country.  Jason 
Lee  and  Oregon  occupied  a  prominent  place  in  the 
thought  and  attention  of  the  people. 

His  addresses,  descriptive  of  Oregon,  the  conditions 
that  prevailed,  and  the  great  future  that  awaited  the 
Pacific  coast  country,  awakened  intense  enthusiasm. 

The  pulpit  and  press  of  the  country  urged  the 
evangelization  and  colonization  of  Oregon. 

Mr,  Lee's  tour  in  Central  and  Southern  Illinois  was 
quite  in  the  nature  of  an  ovation ;  wherever  he  appeared, 
his  coming  excited  great  interest.    The  publicity  that  had 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Countnj     131 

been  given,  and  the  interest  taken  in  his  missionary  tour 
in  1833  and  1834,  the  vast  amount  of  advertising  that  had 
been  given  him,  and  his  work,  opened  the  way  for  the 
larger  success  of  1838  and  1839, 

His  stay  in  IlHnois  was  unexpectedly  prolonged  by 
the  illness  of  one  of  his  Indian  boys.  This  afforded  him 
an  opportunity  to  inaugurate  the  emigration  movement 
that  accomplished  so  much  for  Oregon  on  a  larger  scale 
than  would  otherwise  have  been  possible. 

He  went  from  Alton  to  Peoria,  where  he  delivered 
an  address  descriptive  of  Oregon,  and  immediately  there- 
after the  initial  steps  were  taken  in  the  organization  of  the 
first  company  of  emigrants  (not  missionaries)  that  started 
to  Oregon. 

Mr.  H.  H.  Bancroft,  the  historian,  says : 

The  first  ripple  of  emigration  springing  from  Mr.  Lee's 
lectures  at  Peoria  was  in  the  autumn  of  1838. 

A  company  of  fourteen  persons  was  formed;  their  motto 
was,  "Oregon  or  the  grave."  .  .  .  The  adventurous  little 
band  gathered  before  the  courthouse,  where  prayer  was  offered 
in  their  behalf.  .  .  .  They  set  out  from  Peoria  about  the 
1st  of  May,  1839. 

The  organization  of  this  company  was  one  of  the 
contemporaneous  events  associated  with  the  visit  of  the 
Rev.  Jason  Lee  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  was  the  first 
fruits  of  his  emigration  work. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  some  of  the  men  who 
composed  the  party :  T.  J.  Farnham,  Joseph  Homes,  Amos 
Cook,  Francis  Fletcher,  Sidney  Smith,  J.  Wood,  C.  Wood, 
—  Oakley,  —  Jourdan,  —  Blair. 

T.  J.  Farnham  was  the  leader  of  the  company. 

Though  they  disbanded  before  they  reached  their 
earthly  Canaan,  they  were  the  advance  guard  of  several 
small  bands  of  emigrants  and  of  the  larger  emigrations 
of  1842  and  1843,  and  also  of  those  of  the  after  years. 


132  The  Conquerors 

This  entire  emigration  movement  was  the  result  of  the 
work  begun  by  Jason  Lee  in  1838,  and  continued  by  Dr. 
John  P.  Richmond,  and  others  in  that  region  of  the 
country. 

Mr,  Bancroft,  speaking  of  Mr.  Lee's  correspondence 
with  Hon.  Caleb  Gushing,  referred  to  elsewhere  in  these 
pages,  says: 

In  the  light  of  this  correspondence  with  Mr.  Gushing, 
Jason  Lee's  object  in  demanding  so  large  a  reinforcement  of 
laymen  is  unmistakable.  His  declarations  present  him  unequiv- 
ocally as  a  missionary  colonizer. 

In  1838,  at  Lynn,  Mass.,  the  old  home  of  Cyrus  Shepard 
and  Miss  Downing,  a  society  called  the  "Oregon  Provisional 
Emigration  Society"  was  organized. 

The  intention  of  this  association  was  to  send  to  Oregon 
not  less  than  two  hundred  men,  with  their  families,  to  be  fol- 
lowed by  other  divisions  at  intervals  until  thousands  should 
settle  in  the  country.     .     .     . 

The  society  published  a  monthly  paper  devoted  to  its  objects, 
called  The  Oregonian. 

While  Mr.  Gushing  was  in  correspondence  with 
Jason  Lee,  he  received  letters  from  this  organization,  and 
in  reply  to  inquiries  as  to  its  object,  was  told  in  a  letter, 
dated  January  6,  1839,  that  it  was  designed,  first,  to  civil- 
ize and  Ghristianize  the  Indians,  and  secondly,  to  avail 
themselves  of  the  advantages  offered  in  the  territory  for 
agriculture,  commerce,  and  manufactures. 

It  is  possible  that  Mr.  Lee's  action  with  the  Govern- 
ment in  his  colonization  scheme  led  the  society  to  consider 
itself  forestalled,  or  possibly  it  depended  upon  the  success 
of  certain  measures  that  Mr.  Lee  put  in  motion. 

The  society  never  sent  out  any  persons  as  emigrants. 

On  the  28th  of  January,  1839,  the  memorial  drawn 
up  before  Mr.  Lee  left  Oregon  was  presented  to  the  Sen- 
ate by  Senator  Linn,  of  Missouri,  and  ordered  printed. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     133 

On  the  nth  of  December,  1838,  Mr.  Linn  introduced 
a  bill  in  tlie  Senate,  authorizing  the  occupation  of  the 
Columbia,  or  the  Oregon  River  country;  organizing  a 
territory  north  of  latitude  forty-two,  and  west  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  to  be  called  Oregon  Territory ;  pro- 
viding for  the  establishment  of  a  fort  on  the  Columbia, 
and  the  occupation  of  the  country  by  the  military  forces  of 
the  United  States ;  establishing  a  port  of  entry  and  re- 
quiring that  the  country  should  be  held  subject  to  the 
revenue  laws  of  the  United  States.  ^ 

On  the  22d  of  February  he  made  a  speech  in  the  Senate 
supporting  a  bill  to  provide  protection  for  the  citizens  of  the 
United  States  in  the  Oregon  Territory  or  trading  on  the  Columbia 
River. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  follow  the  action  of  Congress  further; 
the  reference  is  made  here  to  point  out  the  agency  of  Jason 
Lee  in  directing  that  action,  and  the  strong  influence  he  seems 
to  have  wielded  in  Washington  as  well  as  with  the  Missionary 
Board.  How  much  his  suggestions,  especially  concerning  land 
matters,  molded  subsequent  legislation  will  be  made  evident  in 
considering  the  action  of  the  Government  at  a  later  period. 

A  proof  of  the  favor  with  which  his  work  was  regarded 
by  the  Cabinet  is  furnished  by  the  appropriation  of  considerable 
money  from  the  Secret  Service  fund  for  the  charter  of  the 
Lausanne. — Bancroft's  "History  of  Oregon,"  Vol.  I,  page  174. 

Hon.  H.  W.  Scott,  editor  of  the  Oregonian,  Portland, 
Ore.,  says:  "I  regard  the  emigration  movement  inaugu- 
rated by  Jason  Lee  in  Illinois  and  elsewhere  throughout 
the  country  as  his  greatest  work  in  behalf  of  Oregon." 

Mr.  Bancroft  says  of  Mr.  Lee's  emigration  work  in 
Illinois,  in  1838: 

After  crossing  the  Mississippi,  he  began  a  lecturing  tour, 
drawing  large  audiences  in  the  churches,  where  he  presented 
the  subject  of  Oregon  with  the  ardor  of  an  enthusiast  and 
stimulated  his  hearers  to  furnish  funds  and  men  for  the  settle- 

1  Mr.  Bancroft  says  that  Jason  Lee  was  the  author  of  this  bill. 


134  The  Conquerors 

ment  of  that  paradise  of  the  West.    .    .    .    The  effect  of  his 
labors  was  to  draw   into   his   paradise  hundreds   of   emigrants. 

Of  the  success  of  i\Ir.  Lee's  efforts  in  the  colonization 
of  Oregon,  Air.  Bancroft  says : 

There  is  much  credit  to  be  imputed  to  him  as  the  man 
who  carried  to  a  successful  completion  the  dream  of  Hall  J. 
Kelley  and  Ewing  Young.    .    .    . 

I  have  termed  Jason  Lee  a  Methodist  colonizer,  but  he 
was  in  reality  more  than  that.  His  well-directed  efforts  in 
behalf  of  his  Church  could  not  in  their  effects  be  restricted  to 
that  body.     .     .     . 

The  early  history  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  on 
the  Pacific  coast  is  the  history  of  the  American  colonization  of 
Oregon. — H.   H.   Bancroft's   "History   of    Oregon." 

Mrs.  Eva  Emery  Dye,  in  her  book,  "Dr.  McLoughlin 
and  Old  Oregon,"  says  of  Jason  Lee's  missionary  tours 
referred  to  in  these  pages:  "He  stirred  the  entire 
country." 

Jason  Lee  made  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Churches 
of  the  United  States  recruiting  stations  and  supply  points 
for  strengthening  his  missionary  colonies  in  Oregon. 

Rev.  A.  D.  Field,  D.  D.,  of  Indianola,  Iowa,  whose 
research  along  the  lines  of  Methodist  history  has  been 
very  extensive,  says:  "Jason  Lee  and  the  Methodist 
Church  made  Oregon  known  and  brought  about  the 
Oregon  boom,  which  caused  that  country  to  be  settled. 
They  had  done  that  very  thing  for  Indiana  and  Illinois 
years  before." 

Mr.  Francis  Richmond,  of  Tyndall,  S.  D.,  writes  as 
follows : 

The  emigration  of  1842  and  1843  was  brought  about  by 
Jason  Lee.  In  1838  he  spoke  at  many  places  in  Illinois,  where 
lived  the  persons  who  composed  the  larger  part  of  the  first 
companies  of  emigrants  to  go  to  Oregon.  These  places  were 
Springfield,  Peoria,  Alton,  Jacksonville,  and  other  points  in  that 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     135 

country.  My  father,  Dr.  John  P.  Richmond,  was  at  that  time 
pastor  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Jacksonville,  111. 
Of  Jason  Lee's  visit  to  that  region  I  desire  to  say,  such  was  the 
magnetic  influence  of  the  man,  his  great  eloquence,  his  fervent 
Christian  spirit,  his  manly  bearing,  his  evident  sincerity,  that 
wherever  he  went  enthusiasm  was  kindled  and  an  Oregon  senti- 
ment was  created  that  ripened  into  the  emigration  movement 
of  1842-43.  Jason  Lee  was  not  only  instrumental  in  awakening 
great  interest  in  Oregon,  which  was  followed  by  dis- 
cussion and  the  adoption  of  a  plan  of  emigration,  but 
he  was  equally  successful  in  securing  helpers  for  his 
mission  work.  At  his  suggestion  my  father.  Dr.  Rich- 
mond, decided  to  go  as  a  missionary  to  Oregon.  Jason  Lee 
possessed  great  ability  as  an  orator.  He  was  also  a  tireless 
worker.  To  him  belongs  the  honor  of  securing  the  emigration 
of  1842  and  1843,  as  can  be  attested  by  the  children  of  the 
Hillis's,  the  Kelby's,  the  Boyce's,  the  Lang's,  the  Richmond's,  the 
Royal's,  and  many  other  persons,  descendants  of  the  families, 
who  resided  in  the  country  visited  by  Jason  Lee  and  who  formed 
a  part  of  the  emigration  companies.  Rev.  Jason  Lee  had  more 
to  do  with  the  peopling  and  the  shaping  of  the  destiny  of 
Oregon  than  any  other  man.  It  is  not  true  that  Dr.  Whitman 
was  responsible  for  the  formation  of  these  companies  of  emi- 
grants. It  is  an  unanswered  query  whether  he  tarried  a  single 
day  in  the  country  where  most  of  these  emigrants  lived;  he 
certainly  did  not  stop  there  on  his  return  to  Oregon  in  1843, 
for  the  emigrants  of  that  year  had  started  for  Oregon  before 
he  arrived  on  the  Missouri  frontier,  and  he  overtook  them  on 
the  way.  Many  of  the  emigrants  who  went  to  Oregon  in  1842 
and  1843  were  the  personal  friends  and  acquaintances  of  my 
father,  and  the  same  causes  that  influenced  my  parents  to  go 
to  Oregon  also  influenced  their  friends,  acquaintances,  and  neigh- 
bors in  that  and  other  communities  in  that  region  to  go  to 
Oregon. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Churches  and  the  homes  of  the 
Methodist  people  in  that  country  were  centers  of  interest  touch- 
ing the  Oregon  question.  In  them  the  sentiment  that  led  up 
to  the  emigration  movement  had  its  beginning  in  the  work  of 
Jason  Lee.  And  through  them  also  information  was  given,  and 
they  became  the  leaders  in  the  agitation  and  in  the  emigration 
movements  that  followed.  Francis  Richmond. 


136  The  Conquerors 

As  stated  elsewhere  in  these  pages,  the  author  of 
the  foregoing  paragraphs,  Mr.  Francis  Richmond,  was 
born  at  Nisqually,  on  Puget  Sound,  during  the  time  that 
his  father,  Dr.  John  P.  Richmond,  was  in  charge  of  the 
mission  estabHshed  at  that  point  by  Jason  Lee,  The  emi- 
gration of  1842  and  1843  occurred  about  the  time  that  he 
was  born.  Dr.  Richmond  was  intimately  associated  with 
the  emigration  movement.  Next  to  Jason  Lee,  he  had 
more  to  do  with  shaping  the  events  that  led  up  to  the  emi- 
gration of  those  years  than  any  other  man.  He  was 
stationed  in  the  region  of  country  that  was  the  birthplace 
of  the  emigration  referred  to.  He  was  a  well-known 
leader  among  the  hosts  of  Methodists  in  that  country, 
v;ho  had  become  Interested  in  Oregon  through  the  repre- 
sentations of  the  Rev.  Jason  Lee.  He  spoke  many  times 
from  the  different  pulpits  of  that  country,  about  Oregon 
and  the  mission  work  he  was  preparing  to  enter  upon. 

The  Methodist  itinerancy  at  that  time  meant  an  ex- 
tensive acquaintance  with  the  places  and  the  people, 
where  the  travels  and  the  labors  incident  to  his  position 
would  call  him.  His  example,  and  his  reasons  for  seek- 
ing to  make  his  home  in  the  new  country  on  the  shores 
of  the  great  Western  sea,  were  well  known  to  his  many 
friends  and  acquaintances,  and  to  others  as  well  through- 
out that  country.  Very  naturally  they  would  be  influ- 
enced by  his  example,  and  deeply  interested  in  the 
information  he  was  able  to  give  them  of  Oregon. 
Through  the  influences  set  in  motion  by  Jason  Lee,  fol- 
lowed by  the  efforts  in  the  same  direction  by  Dr.  Rich- 
mond, the  attention  and  the  interest  of  the  people  through- 
out that  country  was  turned  toward  Oregon,  and  thus  the 
emigration  movement  of  those  years  was  started,  and  once 
begun,  large  numbers  followed,  until  the  mountain  trails 
that  led  toward  Oregon  were  marked  by  the  footprints 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     137 

of  multitudes  seeking  home  and  fortune  in  the  Pacific 
Coast  country. 

The  emigration  of  1843  was  the  outgrowth  of  the 
emigrations  that  had  preceded  it,  and  was  the  product  of 
the  same  causes. 

While  most  of  the  emigrants  of  this  year  came  from 
IlHnois,  many  came  also  from  Missouri  and  other  States. 
They  joined  the  main  body  at  Independence,  on  the  Mis- 
souri frontier,  and  accompanied  them  to  Jason  Lee's 
American  settlement  in  tiie  Willamette  Valley. 

Dr.  Oregon  Richmond  says  : 

Rev.  Jason  Lee  was  frequently  a  guest  at  my  father's  house 
in  Jacksonville,  III.,  in  the  fall  of  1838,  during  the  period  of 
his  great  work  in  that  State  in  the  inauguration  of  the  emi- 
gration movement. 

He  spoke  eloquently  of  Oregon,  of  the  desirability  of  the 
Pacific  coast  as  a  region  in  wliich  American  people  should  settle. 

He  spoke  of  the  beauty  of  the  country  and  the  advantages 
it  offered  to  settlers. 

His  addresses  excited  great  interest,  and  hundreds  expressed 
their  desire  and  intention  to  emigrate  to  Oregon  by  way  of  the 
great  plains. 

Companies  were  organized  and  equipped.  Some  of  them 
started  in  1839;  others  in  1840,  1842,  and  1843. 

This  emigration  movement  was  set  in  motion  by  Jason  Lee. 

Dr.  Whitman  came  East  in  the  early  spring  of  1843,  and, 
after  a  hurried  visit  to  Boston,  started  back  to  Oregon,  and 
overtook  the  large  emigration  of  that  year  when  they  were 
several  hundred  miles  on  the  way. 

He  joined  them  at  the  crossing  of  the  North  Platte  River 
and  accompanied  them  as  far  as  his  own  mission  station.  He 
had  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  any  of  these  emigrations, 
except  to  accompany  those  of  that  year  a  part  of  the  way  across 
the  continent.  Oregon  Richmond. 

Dr.  Oregon  Richmond,  son  of  Dr.  John  P.  Richmond, 
was  born  in  New  York,  wlicn  his  parents  were  on  the 
way  to  Oregon  in  1839,  hence  his  name.     He  is  a  physi- 


138  The  Conquerors 

cian,  and  resides  at  Benton  Harbor,  Mich.  He  is  the 
party  referred  to  in  this  book  as  having  been  baptized  on 
the  steam  tug  Hercules,  in  New  York  Harbor,  October 
9,  1839. 

The  emigration  movement  in  which  Dr.  Oregon 
Richmond's  father  participated  was  a  matter  of  fainily 
history.  He  had  heard  accounts  of  it  from  childhood,  and 
was  famiUar  with  the  facts  about  which  he  writes. 

We  give  herewith  views  of  the  fording  places  on  the 
North  Platte  (or  Nebraska)  River;  also  of  the  South 
Pass. 

These  were  prominent  points  on  the  transcontinental 
trail,  marked  by  the  footprints  of  the  missionaries,  the 
American  fur  traders,  and  the  early  emigrants  to  Oregon. 

This  crossing  is  the  place  where  Dr.  Whitman  over- 
took the  emigrants  of  1843. 

The  South  Pass  is  situated  near  the  headwaters  of 
the  Platte,  and  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, and  near  the  Divide. 

Dr.  H.  K.  Hines  says  of  the  Great  Reinforcement 
that  left  New  York  in  1839: 

Mr.  Lee's  plea  was  for  laymen  with  families,  that  they 
might  become  settlers  of  the  country.  So  decisively,  however, 
had  his  representations  influenced  the  Board,  that  it  decided  to 
send  five  ministers  with  families ;  and,  in  the  several  secular 
departments  and  as  teachers,  twenty-one,  making  tliirty-one 
adults — thirty-three,  including  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lee;  and  eighteen 
children  and  one  Indian  boy,  making  fifty-two  in  all. 

Thus  in  a  little  over  five  years  the  mission  planted  by 
Jason  Lee  with  four  helpers,  in  the  autumn  of  1834,  had  ex- 
panded into  an  imposing  American  colony. 

Rev.  William  McElfresh,  of  Jacksonville,  111.,  says: 

In  the  fall  of  1838  Rev.  Jason  Lee  visited  Illinois.  He 
aroused  great  interest  and  enthusiasm  about  Oregon.  Dr.  Rich- 
mond became  enthused  with  a  desire  to  go  to  Oregon,  and  many 


C  It  O  9  S  I  N  G     T  U  K    N  E  B  U  A  S  K  A     O  U     »■  L  A  T  1   K. 


vA 


^;/      '"h 


'^'^        .Ow^*^** 


^ijiiiT^S^^ 


lOrXB     PAB8. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country/     139 

people  in  this  region  of  the  country  followed  him  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  among  whom  was  the  family  of  Rev.  William  Royal,  two 
families  by  the  name  of  Ebez,  another  by  the  name  of  Gold- 
smith, and  many  others. 

My  father,  Rev.  John  McElfresh,  took  the  place  of  Dr. 
Richmond  and  supplied  the  pulpit  and  pastorate  made  vacant 
by  the  Doctor's  going  to  Oregon. 

Rev.  William  Royal  was  an  admirer  of  Jason  I,ee, 
and  named  a  son  after  this  distinguished  man. 

The  kinship  of  Mr.  Royal  and  his  family  to  Royalty 
appears  not  only  in  the  name  they  inherited,  but  in  their 
spiritual  birthright  and  affinities  as  well.  They  are  the 
children  of  a  King  whose  reign  will  be  transcendently 
glorious,  and  perpetual  as  the  ages. 

We  give  herewith  a  brief  excerpt  from  a  description 
of  the  journey  of  this  family  to  Oregon.  It  was  written 
by  Rev.  T.  F.  Royal,  of  the  Oregon  Conference  (a  son  of 
Rev.  Williatn  Royal),  and  was  published  in  the  Pacific 
Christian  Advocate,  September  5,  1906. 

Our  journey  was  long,  tedious,  dreary,  and  perilous.  Our 
train  was  an  immense  caravan.  There  were  ten  families,  and  a 
large  number  who  rode  pack-horses  and  mules.  We  had  thir- 
teen wagons,  drawn  by  one  hundred  oxen  (four  yoke  to  each 
wagon),  and  two  horse  teams.  We  rested  and  enjoyed  re- 
ligious services  every  Sunday.  There  were  five  Methodist 
preachers  in  the  company,  so  our  desert  pulpit  was  never  vacant. 

On  the  Rocky  Mountain  summit,  Rev.  John  Gray,  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  preached  and  administered 
the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  By  arranging  our  wagons 
in  a  circle  and  spreading  an  awning  between  them,  we  had  a 
commodious  church,  seated  with  ox-yokes  and  wagon-tongues. 
Trains  back  of  us,  seeing  our  notices  of  religious  services  for 
the  following  Sunday  written  on  skulls  and  other  objects  by 
the  wayside,  often  came  to  our  encampment  on  Sunday  morning 
to  hear  the  preaching.  Our  Sunday  services  partook  of  the 
nature  of  the  early  camp-meetings.  We  had  many  fine  singers 
aboard,  especially  among  the  young  people,  and  our  Sunday  after- 
noons were  enlivened  with  song  and  Christian  fellowship.    Praise 


140  The  Conquerors 

and  prayer  went  up  from  family  altars  morning  and  evening. 
Many  of  the  people  were  Church  members  of  different  denom- 
inations.   A  majority  of  them  were  Methodists. 

Colonel  Clark  E.  Carr,  of  Galesburg,  111.,  in  a  com- 
munication to  the  writer,  dated  Galesburg,  March  25, 
1906,  says : 

I  came  to  Illinois  in  1850,  when  a  boy,  with  my  father's 
family.  There  was  at  that  time  much  said  about  the  great 
exodus  from  this  State  to  Oregon. 

Colonel  Carr  was  Minister  to  Denmark  under  Pres- 
ident Harrison.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Historical 
Society. 

The  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal  of  July  12, 
1839,  contains  an  excerpt  from  the  A^^^e;  York  Journal  of 
Commerce. 

After  speaking  of  the  missions  established  in  Oregon 
by  the  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  the  writer  says : 

The  establishment  of  these  missions  will  have  an  important 
influence  in  inducing  an  early  settlement  of  the  territory.  Al- 
ready a  number  of  men  in  one  of  the  Western  States  have 
associated  for  the  purpose  of  emigrating  thither,  and  the  time 
is  near  when  hundreds  and  thousands  will  follow  them.  The 
question  of  organizing  a  territorial  government  and  establishing 
a  military  post  there  has  several  times  been  mooted  in  Congress, 
and  very  soon  the  measure  will  be  adopted. 

The  climate  of  Oregon  is  very  mild,  much  more  so  than 
in  the  same  latitude  on  the  Eastern  coast  of  America,  and  the 
country  is  healthy.    Many  parts  of  it  are  extremely  fertile. 

It  is  farther  west  than  any  other  portion  of  our  country, 
and  that  alone  is  enough  to  commend  it  to  the  attention  of  our 
people.  All  things  of  heavenly  origin,  like  the  glorious  sun, 
move  westward. 

The  foregoing  article,  having  been  published  in  the 
two  prominent  and  widely-circulated  journals  referred  to, 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     141 

was  read  by  thousands  of  people,  East,  West,  North  and 
South,  and  it  will  be  observed  that  the  date  of  its  pub- 
lication embraces  the  time  of  Jason  Lee's  second  great 
missionary  tour  throughout  the  country ;  that  it  received 
its  inspiration  from  this  source,  and  was  the  outgrowth 
of  the  agitation  incident  to  the  wonderful  awakening 
caused  by  his  missionary  campaigns  is  certain.  The  emi- 
gration movement  referred  to  is  none  other  than  that  that 
had  its  origin  in  the  work  of  Jason  Lee  and  John  P.  Rich- 
mond, described  by  Dr.  Oregon  Richmond  and  Frank 
Richmond. 

There  was  no  other  place  in  the  West  where  ar- 
rangements were  being  made  for  an  emigration  movement 
to  Oregon  except  at  the  points  visited  by  Jason  Lee. 

The  creation,  the  progress,  and  the  strength  of  the 
Oregon  sentiment  throughout  the  country,  and  the  great 
Oregon  hegira  that  was  the  outgrowth  of  it,  afford  unmis- 
takable proof  of  the  effectiveness  of  the  work  of  Jason 
Lee  in  colonizing  Oregon,  and  thus  saving  it  to  the  United 
States. 

No  addresses  of  a  similar  character  ever  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  people  of  the  United  States  as  did 
those  of  Jason  Lee.  They  created  an  outburst  of  patriotic 
enthusiasm  in  behalf  of  Oregon  that  swept  over  the  coun- 
try like  a  great  tidal  wave. 

ExCKRPTS    I'ROM    THE    SanCAMON    JouRNAL,     NOW    THH 

Illinois  Statp:  Journal,  Pubushed  in 
Springfield,  III. 

In  issue  of  February  23,  1839,  is  published  in  full  the 
text  of  Jason  Lee's  memorial  to  Congress. 

Issue  of  March  9,  1839,  contains  an  article  describ- 
ing the  mild  climate,  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  and  the  de- 
sirableness of  the  Oregon  country. 


142  The  Conquerors 

Issue  of  April  12,  1839,  says: 

OREGON  EMIGRANTS. 

An  Oregon  Emigration  Society  has  been  formed  in  Peoria, 
and  similar  societies  have  been  formed  in  St.  Charles,  Mo., 
Michigan  City,  Iowa,  and  Columbus,  Ohio. 

The  same  issue  gives  an  account  of  an  American 
Exploring  and  Trading  Expedition,  embracing  about  140 
men,  who  had  left  St.  Louis  by  boat  for  Oregon,  expect- 
ing to  ascend  the  Missouri  and  the  Yellowstone  rivers  for 
a  distance  of  about  1,500  miles,  and  shorten  by  this 
much  the  long  Oregon  trail. 

Issue  of  October  25,  1839,  in  a  long  article,  gives  an 
account  of  the  sailing  of  the  Lausanne.  The  names  of 
all  the  missionaries  and  the  number  of  children  are  given. 
It  continues: 

This  mission  can  not  fail  to  form  the  nucleus  of  a  colony, 
and  ultimately  of  a  State  equal  to  those  of  the  Atlantic  coast. 

The  sending  of  this  large  expedition  to  Oregon  is  an  im- 
portant event,  whether  considered  in  its  religious  or  political 
bearings. 

There  is  a  strong  and  growing  disposition  among  many 
persons  in  this  region  to  remove  to  the  Oregon  country. 

Issue  of  June  10,  1842 : 

FOR  OREGON. 

A  caravan  of  emigrants  recently  left  the  western  part  of 
Missouri  for  Oregon,  embracing  fifty  men,  twenty-four  women, 
and  thirty-nine  children.  Should  Mr.  Webster  succeed  in  secur- 
ing all  the  territory  claimed  by  us  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
the  emigration  to  that  country  will  soon  be  very  great. 

The  Illinois  State  Register,  published  in  Springfield, 
111.,  but  formerly  published  at  Vandalia,  111.,  has  many 
good  things  to  say  about  Oregon. 

Issue  of  September  21,  1838,  contains  an  article  about 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     143 

the  Pacific  coast  country ;  its  mild  climate,  fertile  soil, 
the  work  of  the  missionaries,  its  importance  to  the  United 
States,  and  the  efforts  being  made  to  secure  its  settle- 
ment. 

Issue  of  May  6,  1842 : 

OREGON  TERRITORY. 

A  meeting  has  been  held  in  Platte  City,  Mo.,  in  advocacy 
of  the  immediate  occupancy  and  settlement  of  the  Oregon 
country.  It  was  urged  that  prompt  measures  be  taken  to  secure 
the  protection  of  the  Government  to  the  many  people  vi^ho  were 
about  to  emigrate  to  the  Pacific  coast. 

Issue  of  June  10,  1842 : 

For  Oregon,  the  people  are  in  motion.  Emigration  to 
Oregon  has  commenced  in  earnest.  The  expedition  included  Dr. 
White,  who  goes  out  as  Government  Agent,  and  many  of  the 
most  respectable  families  of  the  West  are  now  encamped  near 
Independence,  Mo.,  preparatory  for  their  start  to  Oregon  on  the 
13th  of  this  month.  This  is  the  entering  wedge  to  the  tide 
of  emigration  which  is  destined  to  make  our  Western  borders 
the  abode  of  thousands  of  industrious  and  happy  people. 

Senator  Linn  deserves  and  will  receive  the  gratitude  of  the 
Western  people  for  his  noble  efforts  in  behalf  of  those  who 
are  thus  paving  the  way  for  their  country's  greatness. 

Since  writing  the  above  we  have  had  an  interview  with 
Dr.  White.  He  gives  a  glowing  description  of  the  Oregon 
country. — From  The  Platte  Eagle. 

The  following  paragraphs  are  excerpts  from  The 
Alton  Telegraph,  of  Alton,  111. 

In  an  article  published  October  17,  1838,  the  writer 
says: 

Citizens  of  the  West,  will  you  tamely  consent  that  Oregon, 
one  of  the  loveliest  regions  that  nature  ever  bestowed  upon  man, 
should  become  a  powerful  country  in  the  hands  of  England? 
If  Oregon  goes  from  us,  the  honor  of  the  United  States  goes 
with  it.  Never,  no,  never  yield.  Maintain  the  rights  of  your 
country,  or  die  bravely  in  her  defense. 


144  The  Conquerors 

Issue  of  November  9,  1839,  contains  an  important 
article  on  the  value  of  the  Oregon  country,  and  its  relation 
to  the  future  growth  and  greatness  of  the  United  States. 

1.  It  would  become  a  grand  thoroughfare  to  Asia  and  the 
countries  bordering  on  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

2.  It  would  induce  friendly  intercourse  between  us  and  the 
people   of   other   lands. 

3.  It  would  contribute  to  our  national  honor  and  commercial 
development. 

4.  It  would  be  of  immense  advantage  to  the  United  States 
in  conserving  the  peace  of  the  world,  by  forming  a  ligament 
that  would  connect  the  North  with  the  South,  and  the  East  with 
the  West,  so  firmly  that  nothing  but  the  power  of  Omnipotence 
could  separate  them  or  prevent  the  United  States  from  becom- 
ing the  leading  nation  of  the  world. 

5.  It  would  be  of  great  advantage  to  the  Western  States, 
and  cause  them  to  increase  in  population  and  industrial  develop- 
ment and  make  them  the  center  of  this  great  Republic. 

I  hope  that  our  State  legislators  and  delegation  in  Congress 
will  seek  to  induce  our  National  Government  to  take  possession 
of  Oregon. 

Issue  of  June  18,  1842,  has  an  able  article  on  the 
Oregon  country ;  its  importance  to  the  United  States,  and 
the  timely  appointment  of  Colonel  Fremont  to  the  lead- 
ership of  an  expedition,  whose  duty  it  was  to  find  the  best 
route  through  the  mountain  passes  to  Oregon. 

Issue  of  June  3,  1843  : 

The  Liberty,  Clay  County,  Banner  says :  "The  expedition 
to  Oregon,  now  rendezvoused  at  Westport,  in  Jackson  County, 
will  take  up  its  line  of  march  to  Oregon  on  the  20th  of  this 
month.    .    .    . 

"The  company  consists  of  four  or  five  hundred  emigrants. 
They  probably  have  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  wagons  drawn 
by  oxen,  and  horses  for  nearly  every  individual,  and  some  milcii 
cows. 

"There  are  in  the  expedition  a  number  of  citizens  of  in- 
estimable value  to  any  community,  able  to  assist  in  laying  the 
foundations  of  American  life  in  Oregon." 


Sctllcmcni  of  the  Oregon  ComUrtj     145 
Issue  of  June  24,  1843,  says: 

OREGON  MEETING. 

A  numerously  attended  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Madison 
County  and  surrounding  counties  convened  at  the  courthouse 
in  Edwardsville  on  the  15th  of  June,  A.  D.  1843,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  appointing  delegates  to  attend  the  convention  to  be  held 
at  Cincinnati  on  the  3d,  4th,  and  5th  of  July  next,  with  a  view 
of  adopting  measures  to  secure  the  immediate  occupation  of  the 
Oregon  Territory  by  the  Government  of  the  United  States.    .    .    . 

The  Hon.  James  Scmple  was  called  to  the  chair,  and  George 
T.  M.  Davis,  Esq.,  was  appointed  secretary. 

Resolved,  That  this  meeting  adopt  the  declaration  of  Mr. 
Monroe,  made  in  1823,  "that  the  American  continents  arc  not 
to  be  considered  subject  to  colonization  by  any  European  power; 
and  that  we  consider  any  attempt  on  their  part  to  extend  their 
system  to  this  hemisphere  as  dangerous  to  our  peace  and  safety." 

Resolved,  That  we  will  cordially  co-operate  in  the  call  made 
by  the  "Oregon  General  Committee  of  Ohio"  for  a  convention 
to  be  held  in  Cincinnati. 

Resolved,  That  the  proceedings  of  this  meeting  be  published 
in  all  the  papers  of  this  State. 

"Pioneer  Days  of  Oregon  History,"  by  S.  A.  Clarke. 
Volume  2,  Chapter  LIV.    The  writer  says: 

Joseph  Holman  was  one  of  the  men  who  left  Peoria,  111., 
bound  for  Oregon,  in  the  spring  of  1839.  He  resided  in  Peoria 
when  Rev.  Jason  Lee  lectured  there  in  1838.  That  lecture  in- 
fluenced him  and  Robert  Shortess  and  others  to  emigrate  to 
Oregon.  Some  of  the  party  arrived  in  Vancouver  the  same 
day  that  the  missionaries  on  the  Lausanne  reached  that  place. 

Following  the  Peoria  party  came  a  small  company  from 
Quincy,  111.  After  1840  the  stream  of  emigration  was  con- 
tinuous. 

The  first  emigration  of  large  volume  was  that  of  1842, 
followed  by  a  large  number  in  1843,  and  by  a  still  greater 
number  in  1845. 

These  articles  and  facts  arc  evidence  that  the  people 
of  Illinois  and  other  States  were  interested  in  the  Oregon 
10 


146  The  Conquerors 

question,  and  that  many  of  them  were  hkely  to  emigrate 
there,  and  that  Jason  Lee  in  his  tour  of  the  country  saved 
Oregon,  and  produced  results  that  are  immeasurable  in 
the  largeness  and  extent  of  their  benefit  to  American  in- 
terests on  the  Pacific  coast,  to  the  United  States,  and  to 
the  world. 

Abraham  Lincoln  said :  "With  public  sentiment 
nothing  can  fail ;  without  it,  nothing  can  succeed.  Conse- 
quently, he  who  molds  public  sentiment  goes  deeper 
than  he  who  enacts  statutes  or  pronounces  decisions.  He 
makes  statutes  and  decisions  possible,  or  impossible,  to 
be  executed." 

This  statement  applies  with  tremendous  force  and 
truthfulness  to  the  work  of  Rev.  Jason  Lee  in  behalf  of 
Oregon.  It  was  the  sentiment  he  created  in  Illinois  that 
made  that  region  of  country  the  birthplace,  the  recruiting 
station,  the  storm-center,  and  the  battle-ground  of  the 
Oregon  emigration  movement. 

It  also  enabled  him  to  kindle  missionary  fires 
throughout  the  United  States,  the  light  of  which  shone 
out  over  the  weary  wastes  of  the  continent,  and  touched 
the  shores  of  the  Pacific ;  lifted  the  curtains  of  night  from 
Oregon's  moral  and  political  horizon,  and  opened  the  gates 
of  the  morning  to  the  incoming  of  the  Gospel,  and  to 
American  occupancy  and  supremacy  on  the  western  coast 
of  North  America.  ^ 


2  The  colonization  o\  Oregon  was  pre-eminently  a  Methodist  measure  and 
movement.  The  facts  in  the  case,  as  given  herewith,  demonstrate  the  correctness 
of  this  statement. 


CHAPTER  VII 
The  Formation  of  a  Provisional  Government 

Under  the  pressure  of  absolute  necessity,  the  mis- 
sionaries were  obliged  to  secure  for  themselves  independ- 
ence from  the  Hudson  Bay  Company.  With  the  coming  of 
the  Great  Reinforcement,  the  American  colonists  were 
furnished  with  the  facilities  for  taking  care  of  themselves, 
and  also  for  supplying  the  wants  of  American  emigrants 
who  desired  to  settle  among  them.  They  provided  them- 
selves with  mills  and  stores,  farms  and  stock,  and  farming 
utensils.  They  erected  houses  and  barns,  and  buildings 
for  the  storage  of  their  products.  Previous  to  this  time 
the  wheeled  vehicles  used  in  the  mission  were  manufac- 
tured by  the  missionaries  themselves.  The  wheels  were 
made  from  cuts  of  logs;  the  axles  from  fir  poles;  the 
ropes  and  cords  used  in  their  work  were  made  from  raw 
hide.  These  wagons  were  constructed  with  an  axe,  and 
auger,  and  a  drawing  knife.  They  served  a  good  purpose 
on  the  level  lands  and  on  the  prairies. 

The  event  which,  more  than  any  other  one  thing,  or 
many  things  that  made  Oregon  an  American  common- 
wealth, was  the  enlargement  of  the  mission  herein  referred 
to,  and  the  facilities  furnished  thereby,  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  permanent,  self-supporting  American  com- 
munity. 

Before  the  end  of  1840  it  was  known  throughout  the 
Atlantic  coast  that  Oregon  was  likely  to  become  one  of 
the  great  commonwealths  of  the  United  States.    At  the 

147 


148  The  Conquerors 

close  of  this  year  there  were  eighty-six  adults  connected 
with  Jason  Lee's  mission,  and  twenty-eight  Americans 
outside  of  the  mission,  114  in  all. 

In  1838  several  Catholic  missionaries  arrived.  There 
were  also  in  the  country  a  number  of  former  employees  of 
the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  who  affiliated  with  their  old 
employers. 

There  were  two  sentiments  among  the  people,  one 
being  American  and  the  other  British.  The  prize  was  the 
country  itself.  The  issue  was,  should  it  be  American  or 
British.  Gauged  by  results,  it  was  the  mightiest  conflict 
of  the  century. 

On  the  one  side  was  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  and 
the  missionaries  and  friends  of  the  Catholic  Church.  On 
the  other  side,  the  missionaries  and  friends  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  and  the  American  settlers. 

A  meeting  was  called  at  the  Mission  House,  Cham- 
poeg,  February  7,  1841.  Rev.  Jason  Lee  presided,  and 
Rev.  Gustavus  Hines  was  chosen  secretary.  Various 
plans  were  suggested  by  which  it  was  hoped  that  some 
form  of  government  could  be  agreed  upon.  This  was 
the  first  meeting  of  the  kind  held  in  Oregon.  Another 
meeting  was  held  on  the  i/tli  of  February,  at  the  Mission 
House,  for  the  same  purpose.  Rev.  David  Leslie  presided, 
and  Rev.  Gustavus  Hines  and  Sidney  Smith  acted  as  sec- 
retaries, but,  owing  to  differences  of  opinion,  but  little 
was  accomplished.  These  differences  were,  for  the  most 
part,  born  of  a  desire  on  the  one  hand  to  bring  the  country 
under  British  control,  and  a  determined  purpose  on  the 
other  side  to  secure  American  supremacy.  The  tension 
between  these  rival  factions  became  more  intense  as  the 
days  went  by.  A  large  meeting,  embracing  most  of  the 
male  population  of  the  Willamette  Valley,  was  held  on  the 
first  Monday  in  March,  1843,  to  consider  the  subject  of 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     149 

protection  to  their  herds  and  flocks.  This  was  called  the 
"Wolf  Meeting." 

The  object  of  this  meeting  primarily  may  have  been 
as  indicated  in  the  name  given  it.  The  subject,  however, 
that  was  uppermost  in  the  minds  of  the  people  came  up ; 
like  Banquo's  ghost,  it  would  not  down,  and  they  talked 
less  about  the  wolves  than  they  did  about  the  proposed 
effort  to  establish  a  local  government  for  Oregon. 

Many  of  the  preliminary  meetings  called  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  arrangements  for  the  formation  of  a  Pro- 
visional Government  were  held  in  the  warehouse  of  the 
Methodist  Mission,  at  Willamette  Falls  (Oregon  City)  ; 
it  was  a  frame  building,  sixteen  by  thirty  feet  in  size.  ]\Ir. 
Samuel  Clark,  of  Salem,  one  of  Oregon's  most  reliable 
historians,  says:  "This  building  became  the  legislative 
chamber  of  the  American  colonists ;  here  our  first  legis- 
lators met  and  studied  the  art  of  government  for  Oregon." 
Gradually  it  came  to  be  believed  that  the  American  senti- 
ment was  slightly  stronger  than  the  other.  This  ques- 
tion, at  the  instigation  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  came 
up  for  discussion : 

Resolved,  That  it  is  expedient  for  the  settlers  of  the  coast 
to  organize  an  independent  government. 

The  resolution  carried.  Its  purpose  was  to  delay, 
confuse,  circumvent,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  destroy  the 
hopes  and  the  plans  of  the  missionaries. 

George  Abernethy,  one  of  the  prominent  officers  of 
the  mission  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  was  equal 
to  the  emergency  in  this  critical  and  pivotal  period  in  the 
history  of  Oregon.  He  offered  the  following  resolution 
for  discussion  the  next  week : 

Resolved,  That  if  the  United  States  extends  its  jurisdiction 
over  the  country  in  the  next  four  years,  it  will  not  be  expedient 
to  form  an  independent  government. 


150  TJie  Conquerors 

The  resolution  was  adopted,  and  it  was  wonderfully 
effective  in  the  accomplishment  of  its  purpose, 

1st.  It  pledged  the  people  against  the  organization  of 
an  independent  Government. 

2d.  It  indicated  the  faith  of  the  Americans  in  the 
victory  that  would  come  to  them  in  the  final  determination 
of  this  question. 

3d.  It  also  opened  the  way  for  the  adoption  of  any 
plan  that  would  meet  the  exigencies  of  the  case,  especially 
if  it  looked  toward  American  supremacy. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  people  were  in 
an  agitated  condition  that  bordered  on  anarchy,  and  some 
form  of  government  was  an  imperative  necessity. 

There  were  three  forms  of  opinion  among  the  people : 

1st.  That  led  by  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  in  behalf 
of  an  "Independent  Government." 

2d.  A  provisional  government,  looking  to  the  early 
extension  of  the  authority  of  the  United  States  over  the 
country. 

3d.  A  continuation  of  the  condition  that  then  pre- 
vailed until  the  United  States  should  assume  control  over 
the  country. 

The  American  sentiment  was  divided  between  the  sec- 
ond and  third  alternatives.  Mr.  Abernethy's  resolution 
unified,  and  thus  greatly  strengthened,  the  American  side 
of  the  case.  It  also  made  the  fact  more  plain  that  some 
form  of  organized  government  must  be  had  immediately. 

The  only  question  was:  Should  it  be  independent  or 
provisional. 

It  was  recognized  by  all  that  an  independent  govern- 
ment (as  they  were  pleased  to  call  it)  was  the  entering 
wedge  to  British  rule,  and  that  a  Provisional  Government 
was  a  temporary  affair,  and  intended  to  be  the  beginning 
of  American  control. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     151 

Dr.  H.  K.  Hines  says: 

The  larger  number  of  the  men  composing  the  Oregon 
settlement  met  on  the  2d  day  of  May,  1843,  at  Champoeg,  at 
the  Mission  House.  Dr.  Ira  L.  Babcock,  of  the  Methodist 
Mission,  was  elected  chairman,  and  G.  W.  LeBreton  secretary. 
A  committee  of  twelve,  which  had  been  appointed  at  a  previous 
meeting,  made  a  report  in  favor  of  organizing  a  Provisional 
Government;  a  motion  to  accept  it  was  made.  The  friends  of 
the  British  contention,  embracing  the  representatives  of  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company  and  the  members  of  the  Catholic  Mission, 
under  the  leadership  of  Rev.  F.  N,  Blanchet,  voted  "No,"  and 
the  motion  to  accept  the  report  was  lost. 

After  some  hesitation  and  feeling  of  uncertainty,  another 
motion  was  made  that  would  bring  the  question  to  a  direct 
vote.  At  this  critical  juncture,  Joseph  Meek  stepped  out  of  the 
crowd  and  shouted,  "All  who  are  in  favor  of  the  report  of 
the  committee  and  of  organization,  follow  me."  The  Americans 
were  quickly  in  line  by  his  side.  The  opposition,  led  by  Rev. 
Mr.  Blanchet,  filed  slowly  to  the  left.  The  lines  were  carefully 
counted;  fifty-two  stood  with  Meek  and  fifty  with  Blanchet. 
The  result  of  the  count  was  received  with  shouts  and  expres- 
sions of  joy  by  the  Americans. 

This  was  the  most  important  vote  ever  taken  in  Oregon 
and  was  just  as  effective  in  determining  the  future  status  of 
the  country  as  if  one  thousand  votes  had  been  cast. 

Promptly  the  chairman  called  the  meeting  to  order  again; 
the  defeated  party  withdrew,  and  the  meeting  was  in  the  hands 
of  its  friends.  They  immediately  entered  upon  the  preliminary 
action  necessary  to  the  formation  of  a  Provisional  Government, 
and  provided  for  the  election  of  a  judge  with  probate  powers, 
a  clerk  of  the  court,  a  sheriff,  three  magistrates,  three  constables, 
and  a  treasurer.  It  also  appointed  a  legislative  committee  of 
nine.  These  places  were  filled  by  competent  and  patriotic  men, 
as  follows:  A.  E.  Wilson,  supreme  judge;  G.  W.  LeBreton, 
clerk  of  the  court ;  Joseph  Meek,  sheriff ;  W.  H.  Wilson,  treas- 
urer; and  Messrs.  D.  Hill,  Robert  Shortess,  Robert  Newell, 
Alanson  Beers,  T.  J.  Hubbard,  W.  H.  Gray,  J.  O.  Neil,  R. 
Moore,  and  William  Dougherty,  Legislative  Committee. 

This  meeting  adjotimed  to  the  5th  day  of  Jtily.  at 
which  time  the  Legislative  Committee  reported  on  a  form 
of  organization. 


152  The  Conquerors 

They  also  ratified  the  action  taken  at  the  preliminary 
meeting  of  May  2d.  The  date  of  this  meeting  was  fixed 
for  July  5th,  in  order  that  the  people  might  gather  on  the 
4th  of  July  and  celebrate  the  anniversary  of  American  In- 
dependence, which  celebration,  it  was  believed,  would  be 
helpful  to  the  important  work  of  the  following  day. 

The  celebration  and  the  meeting  on  the  5th  were  oc- 
casions of  great  interest  and  enthusiasm.  Rev.  Gustavus 
Hines  delivered  an  oration  on  the  4th,  and  presided  at 
the  meeting  on  the  5th.  A  number  of  those  who  opposed 
an  organization  at  the  preceding  meeting  were  present  on 
this  occasion,  and  announced  their  cordial  support  of  the 
objects  sought  to  be  obtained  by  the  Americans. 

The  opposition  were  conspicuous  for  their  absence. 
They  publicly  asserted,  however,  that  they  would  not  sub- 
mit to  the  authority  of  the  Provisional  Government,  and 
sent  communications  to  the  leading  Americans  to  that 
effect ;  also,  that  they  were  abundantly  able  to  defend 
themselves,  etc.  With  affairs  in  this  attitude,  Mr.  Hines 
announced  that  the  report  of  the  Legislative  Committee 
was  in  order ;  it  was  read  by  Mr.  LeBreton.  It  consisted 
of  an  outline  of  what  were  termed  organic  laws,  prefaced 
by  the  following  preamble: 

We,  the  people  of  Oregon  Territory,  for  the  purpose  of 
mutual  protection,  and  to  secure  peace  and  prosperity  among  our- 
selves, agree  to  adopt  the  following  laws  and  regulations  until 
such  time  as  the  United  States  of  America  extend  their  juris- 
diction over  us. 

The  report  of  the  Committee  was  adopted,  and  a 
Sub-legislative  Committee  of  three  were  elected  by  ballot. 
Alanson  Beers,  David  Hill,  and  Joseph  Gale  were  chosen. 

Thus  a  Provisional  Government  for  Oregon,  thor- 
oughly American  in  character,  and  which  nothing  short 
of  military  force  could  overthrow,  became  an  actuality. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     153 

As  the  establishing  of  the  American  Missionary  Col- 
ony in  1834,  and  the  coming  of  the  Great  Missionary 
Reinforcement  in  1840  were  the  chief  events  in  the  forma- 
tive and  constructive  period  of  American  life,  and  the 
founding  of  American  institutions  in  Oregon,  so  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Provisional  Government  was  the  crown- 
ing event  that  secured  American  supremacy  in  Oregon. 

Opposition  and  threats  were  employed  in  the  hope 
that  something  might  transpire  that  would  change  the  for- 
bidding aspects  of  the  case,  from  the  viewpoint  of  those 
who  championed  the  British  contention ;  but  the  American 
colonists  were  immovable  and  persistent  in  their  purpose ; 
they  stood  up  manfully  in  defense  of  the  Ainerican  claim, 
and  sent  a  memorial  to  Congress,  asking  for  protection, 
setting  forth  existing  conditions,  and  urging  immediate 
action  on  the  part  of  the  Government. 

The  enthusiasm  and  the  determination  of  the  men 
who  composed  this  gathering  was  irresistible.  It  had  in 
it  the  swing  of  victory,  and  the  promise  of  conquest. 

The  Hudson  Bay  Company  was  in  open  hostility  to 
the  American  claim,  and  the  Indian  population  had  been 
brought  into  sympathy  with  them,  so  that  there  were 
grave  apprehensions  of  a  general  uprising  for  the  exter- 
mination of  the  Americans. 

The  contention  for  national  control  had  reached  its 
climax.  The  hour  for  final  decision  had  come.  It  was  the 
crucial  period.  In  point  of  time  it  was  the  pivotal  hour, 
when,  so  far  as  the  people  of  this  coast  were  concerned, 
the  national  status  of  Oregon  should  be  decided. 

The  attitude  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  towards 
the  missions  had  greatly  changed  from  what  it  was  in 
1834,  when  Jason  Lee  began  his  work.  Then  it  was  one 
of  active  friendship  and  support. 

Their  influence  was  now  against  the  Protestant  and 


154  The  Conquerors 

the  American  cause,  and  in  favor  of  the  anti-American 
sentiment  of  the  country. 

These  causes  combined  to  make  this  period  one  of 
the  most  threatening  and  critical  through  which  the  mis- 
sions and  the  people  representing  American  ideas  had 
passed.  Considering  the  small  number  of  American  peo- 
ple on  the  coast,  together  with  the  much  larger  number 
of  Indians,  at  that  time,  and  the  intense  jealousy  and  ex- 
citement that  prevailed,  the  threatening  attitude  of  the 
Indians  east  of  the  mountains,  and  all  over  the  coast,  it 
seems  almost  miraculous  that  all  the  Americans  were  not 
swept  from  the  face  of  the  earth. 

The  establishment  of  the  Provisional  Government 
was  the  prelude  to  American  supremacy,  and  was  so  re- 
garded by  both  parties  to  the  contest.  This  is  evident  in 
the  fact  that,  immediately  thereafter,  the  opposition  to 
American  control  began  to  relax,  and  while  those  who 
advocated  the  British  side  of  the  case  continued  to  de- 
nounce the  missionaries  for  the  action  they  had  taken  to 
Americanize  the  country,  they  nevertheless  manifested  a 
willingness  to  submit  to  the  regulations  and  requirements 
of  the  Provisional  Government. 

The  local  government  herein  referred  to  was  estab- 
lished almost  entirely  by  the  missionaries  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  the  only  exception  being  that  of  the 
helpful  co-operation  of  the  American  settlers  who  lived 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  mission. 

It  should  be  observed  that  the  missionary  history  of 
the  Pacific  Northwest  was  also  its  civil  history.  This  was 
so  from  necessity.  The  home,  the  family,  and  the  com- 
munity life  of  the  American  population  of  Oregon,  up  to 
the  autumn  of  1843,  was  embraced  in  tlie  mission  settle- 
ments. They  were  the  only  organized  and  potential  force 
that  could  determine  and  settle  the  Oregon  question. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     155 

Tlie  Hudson  Bay  Company  was  seeking  to  make 
good  its  claim  to  the  ownership  of  Oregon.  Hence, 
the  imperative  necessity  for  the  prompt,  vigorous,  and  ef- 
fective action  of  the  missionaries  in  securing  control  of 
the  country,  by  establishing  an  American  Government, 
and  settling  the  Oregon  question  in  favor  of  the  American 
contention.  Not  to  have  done  this  would  have  been  trea- 
son on  the  part  of  the  Americans,  and  fatally  imperiled 
American  interests  in  Oregon. 

Dr.  H.  K.  Hines,  in  his  book,  "Missionary  History  of 
the  Pacific  Northwest,"  says : 

When  this  primary  meeting  of  the  loyal  citizens  of  Oregon 
adjourned  on  the  evening  of  the  5th  of  July,  1843,  Oregon  had 
passed  from  a  condition  where  every  man  was  a  law  unto  him- 
self into  that  of  an  organized  political  commonwealth.  This 
action  was  bold  and  might  be  called  revolutionary,  as  Oregon 
was  claimed  alike  by  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States.  As 
against  the  claim  of  Great  Britain,  it  approached  rebellion.  The 
people  of  Oregon  had  decided  for  themselves  where  their  al- 
legiance lay.  That  decision  did  more  than  any  one  thing  or  a 
dozen  things  to  decide  the  "Oregon  Question,"  and  if  it  is  jus- 
tifiable to  claim  for  any  man,  or  any  fact,  the  glory  of  "saving 
Oregon"  to  the  United  States,  it  must  lay  to  the  credit  of  the 
men  whose  presence  and  work  in  the  country,  and  whose  intense 
Americanism  always  and  everywhere  displayed,  had  made  the 
organization  of  the  "Provisional  Government"  a  possibility.  The 
Government  thus  ordained  was  so  wisely  administered  that  op- 
position to  it  gradually  subsided. 

From  the  foregoing  facts,  it  is  evident  that  the  Gov- 
ernment founded  by  the  missionaries  had  in  it  so  many 
elements  of  moral  excellency,  and  adaptation  to  the  wants 
of  the  people,  and  the  laws  they  made  were  so  wholesome 
and  just,  and  were  administered  with  such  fidelity  and 
fairness,  that  opposition  was  disarmed,  and  the  people  fell 
in  line  in  their  recognition  of  the  claim  of  the  local  Gov- 
ernment, and  in  their  acknowledgment  of  American 
supremacy. 


156  The  Conquerors 

At  an  election  held  June  3,  1845.  Hon.  George  Aber- 
nethy,  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Mission,  and  a  man  of 
sterling  character,  was  elected  governor.  He  held  that 
position  until  March,  1849,  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
General  Joseph  Lane.  Previous  to  the  election  of  Mr. 
Abernethy,  the  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the  gov- 
ernment was  vested  in  a  legislative  committee. 

The  Provisional  Government  of  Oregon  was  an  American 
Government.  California  had  her  "Bear  Flag;"  Texas  had  her 
"Lone  Star  Flag,"  but  Oregon  never  marched  under  any  other 
banner  than  the  "Stars  and  Stripes;"  From  the  time  that  Jason 
Lee  stepped  over  the  ridge  of  the  continent,  on  the  15th  day  of 
Jime,  1834,  and  began  his  march  to  the  Western  sea,  her  mis- 
sionaries, her  emigrants,  and  her  mountaineers  had  sung  to  the 
winds,  to  her  mountains,  and  her  illimitable  seas, 

"The  Star-Spangled  Banner  forever  shall  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave." 

And  it  is  not  possible  to  evade  the  historic  conclusion  reached 
by  one  of  the  most  painstaking  students  of  the  story  of  mis- 
sionary work  on  the  Northwest  coast,  that  to  the  Methodist 
missionaries  and  their  friends  in  Washington  and  elsewhere  was 
due  the  Americanization  of  the  Willamette  Valley  and  the  es- 
tablishment of  a  Provisional  Government  with  all  that  it  im- 
plied. Its  implication  and  its  sure  prophecy  was  the  treaty  of 
1846  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain,  under  which 
the  latter  withdrew  her  flag  from  a  large  part  of  the  territory 
of  the  "Old  Oregon,"  and  the  Stars  and  Stripes  waved  in  un- 
challenged authority  over  what  is  now  the  grandest,  most  re- 
sourceful, most  patriotic,  and  most  promising  part  of  our  na- 
tional domain. 

This  empire  of  the  West  faces  the  Orient,  and  here  are 
the  forces  that  will  renew  the  great  histories  of  the  olden  time, 
under  the  loftier  inspirations  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  spirit  that  so 
splendidly  dominates  the  "Ultimate  West." — Dr.  H.  K.  Hincs's 
"Missionary  History  of  the  Pacific  Norllnvcst." 

1  The  Provisional  Government  of  Oregon  was  made  possible  and  certain  by 
the  vigorous  American  settlement  and  sentiment  that  created  it. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Countrij     157 

There  were  five  acts  in  the  drama  of  events  that  se- 
cured American  supremacy  in  Oregon,  that  were  pre- 
eminent for  their  importance  and  decisive  in  their 
effectiveness.  Like  five  great  mountain  peaks,  they  rise 
in  subhme  and  stately  grandeur  above  the  lesser  events 
that  surrounded  them. 

The  first  was  the  establishment  of  the  American  set- 
tlement in  the  Willamette  Valley  by  Jason  Lee,  in  1834. 

The  second  was  the  coming  of  the  great  Missionary 
Reinforcement  in  1840. 

The  third  was  the  coming  of  the  emigrants  of  1842. 

The  fourth  was  the  formation  of  a  Provisional  Gov- 
ernment in  1843. 

The  fifth  was  the  creation  of  an  Oregon  sentiment 
throughout  the  United  States  that  was  overwhelming  and 
irresistible. 

By  the  first  act  the  foundations  of  American  institu- 
tions were  laid  in  Oregon. 

By  the  second  act  the  American  colonists  were  freed 
from  their  former  dependence  upon  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company,  and  were  furnished  with  facilities  for  becoming 
an  independent  American  community. 

By  the  third  act  the  missionary  colonists  were  suf- 
ficiently reinforced  to  make  good  their  claim  of  American 
ownership. 

By  the  fourth  act  they  assumed  and  ever  afterward 
maintained  control  of  Oregon,  and  linked  themselves  in 
bonds  of  national  kinship  and  destiny  to  the  United 
States. 

By  the  fifth  act  the  needs  of  the  missionary  settle- 
ments were  supplied,  the  colonization  of  Oregon  effected, 
and  an  American  solution  of  the  Oregon  question  made 
absolutely  certain. 

The  Hudson  Bay  Company,  through  the  settlement 


158  The  Conquerors 

they  had  made  under  the  joint  occupancy  treaty,  believed 
that  their  position  was  invincible,  and  that  their  domi- 
nance of  the  country  would  be  perpetual.  The  acts  re- 
ferred to  broke  their  hold  upon  the  southern  half  of  the 
old  Oregon  country,  and  made  all  the  work  that  had  been 
done  in  behalf  of  the  American  claim  operative,  effective, 
and  successful.  They  mark  the  five  distinctive,  progress- 
ive, and  constructive  stages  in  the  effort  to  secure  Amer- 
ican supremacy  in  Oregon,  They  afford  clear  and  con- 
vincing proof  of  the  manner  in  which  the  missionaries 
outstripped  their  rivals  in  the  promptness  and  effective- 
ness of  their  work. 

The  outcome  of  these  measures  were  very  objection- 
able to  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  and  no  wonder,  for 
they  were  a  proclamation  to  the  world  of  the  independence 
of  the  American  colony.  They  signified  the  displacement 
of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  in  the  conduct  of  Oregon 
affairs.  They  were  the  prelude  to  the  installation  of  a 
new  order  of  things.  If  it  is  claimed,  at  that  date,  July 
5,  1843,  that  the  United  States  Government  had  not  taken 
actual  possession  of  the  country  by  hoisting  the  American 
flag  over  it,  my  answer  is,  they  could  not  do  this,  the 
country  was  open  to  joint  occupancy. 

The  officers  of  the  Government  had  given  proof  of 
their  interest  in  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Lee  in  his  work  of 
colonization  in  Oregon ;  but  to  have  sent  a  military  force 
to  take  possession  of  it  would  have  been  in  contravention 
of  the  treaty  of  joint  occupancy,  and  equivalent  to  a  re- 
pudiation of  the  terms  of  that  agreement.  When  the  mis- 
sionaries and  the  settlers  at  the  Mission  Headquarters, 
near  Salem,  made  proclamation  to  the  world  that  they  had 
unfurled  the  flag  of  the  United  States  in  Oregon,  and  sent 
word  to  that  effect  to  the  Government  in  Washington,  the 
officers  could  not  have  been  otherwise  than  pleased  over 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     159 

this  important  information.  It  was  in  line  with  the  finan- 
cial assistance  they  had  granted  for  the  strengthening  of 
this  American  colony.  It  was  in  keeping  with  all  that 
the  Government  had  done  in  outfitting  expeditions,  and 
sending  them  to  the  coast.  It  was  in  accord  with 
the  ultimatum  made  by  the  United  States  to  England.  It 
was  doing  what  the  Government  wanted  done,  without 
taking  the  initiative  and  doing  the  work  itself.  If  the 
National  Government  had  done  this  it  would  have  been 
interpreted  as  an  act  of  war,  but,  the  colonists  having 
done  it,  the  way  was  opened  for  the  United  States  to  take 
possession  of  the  country  with  less  liability  to  trouble 
than  to  have  done  it  in  any  other  way. 

By  the  acts  herein  referred  to,  the  American  claim 
was  not  only  placed  in  the  foreground  as  compared  with 
that  of  England,  but  it  was  like  the  case  of  the  man  whose 
claim  is  not  only  the  best,  but  is  also  in  actual  possession 
of  the  coveted  treasure. 

When  the  vote  was  taken,  on  the  2d  of  May,  1843, 
there  was  great  rejoicing  among  the  American  colonists 
over  the  result,  because  of  its  eflfect  in  the  speedy  and 
certain  settlement  of  the  Oregon  question. 

They  recognized  the  fact  that  they  did  not  have  to 
wait  for  the  further  enlargement  of  the  American  settle- 
ment to  establish  a  Provisional  Government,  but  that  they 
could  secure  its  formation  immediately,  and  thus  relieve 
the  tension  that  was  becoming  well  nigh  unbearable. 

Dr.   McLoughun. 

Dr.  McLoughlin,  to  whom  reference  has  been  made 
in  the  preceding  pages,  was  a  noble  man,  a  prince  among 
the  great  and  good  men  of  his  day.  His  acts  of  kindness 
to  the  missionaries  were  many,  the  spirit  he  manifested 


160  The  Conquerors 

toward  them  was  that  of  a  brother.  His  treatment  of  the 
Indian  was  just,  humane,  and  fatherly.  The  duties  he 
owed  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  were  discharged  with 
great  capabihty  and  faithfulness. 

Mrs.  Eva  Emery  Dye,  in  her  book,  "Dr.  McLoughlin 
and  Old  Oregon,"  has  many  good  things  to  say  about  this 
eminent  man,  and  very  properly  commends  him  for  his  re- 
peated acts  of  kindness  to  the  missionaries  and  for  his 
noble  qualities  of  mind  and  heart.  She  deplores  the  fact 
that  he  was  misunderstood  and  misrepresented.  She  says : 
"Distrusted  by  England  because  he  had  befriended  Amer- 
icans, and  distrusted  by  Americans  because  of  his  friend- 
ship for  England,  he  exclaimed :  'In  my  old  age,  I  find 
myself  a  man  without  a  country.' " 

Mrs.  Dye  also  says:  "Because  of  his  friendliness  to 
the  missionaries,  he  was  obliged  to  resign  his  position  as 
head  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  and  thereby  sacrificed 
a  personal  income  of  $12,000  per  annum." 

She  calls  him  the  father  of  Oregon.  If  it  is  meant 
by  this  that  American  institutions  on  the  Pacific  coast 
had  their  birth  in  his  efforts,  and  that,  as  a  result  thereof, 
American  supremacy  was  secured  in  Oregon,  then  the 
name  father  is  a  misnomer,  and,  as  used  in  this  case,  is 
incorrect,  and  wholly  at  variance  with  the  facts  in  the 
case,  for  while  it  is  true  that  he  manifested  a  spirit  of 
kindness  to  the  missionaries  that  was  remarkable  for  its 
helpfulness  and  its  brotherliness,  it  is  also  true  that  he 
Vv'as  not  in  sympathy  with  the  effort  to  establish  American 
supremacy  in  Oregon ;  on  the  contrary,  he  favored  British 
control,  and  when  the  agitation  in  behalf  of  a  provisional 
government  assumed  such  proportions  that  it  threatened 
the  overthrow  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  he  brought 
the  great  weight  of  his  personal  and  official  influence  to 
bear  against  it,  and,  in  view  of  this  fact,  the  success  of  the 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Countrij     101 

missionaries  in  establishing  a  provisional  government  is 
the  more  remarkable. 

He  favored  an  independent  government,  and  sought 
to  establish  it ;  this  was  recognized  by  all  classes  of  people 
as  an  entering  wedge  to  permanent  British  control  in 
Oregon. 

His  executive  ability,  his  wisdom  of  management, 
and  his  fidelity  to  duty  is  evidenced  in  two  important 
facts : 

1st.  In  this,  that  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  made 
many  millions  of  dollars  in  Oregon. 

2d.  That  they  had  thoroughly  intrenched  themselves 
in  the  country,  and  dominated  it  with  a  weight  of  influ- 
ence and  success  that  led  them  to  believe  that  their  posi- 
tion was  quite  impregnable,  and  that  it  would  be  perma- 
nent. 

In  his  action  in  this  matter  is  clearly  revealed  his 
nobility  of  character. 

1st.  By  sustaining  the  claim  of  Great  Britain  is 
proved  his  loyalty  to  his  country,  thereby  disproving  the 
statement  made  against  him  in  England,  and  by  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company,  that  he  was  disloyal  to  his  Gov- 
ernment and  betrayed  it  into  the  hands  of  the  Ameri- 
cans. 

2d.  In  the  largeness  of  his  hospitality  and  helpful- 
ness to  the  American  missionaries  and  to  the  Indians  is 
shown  his  intent  and  purpose ;  these  acts  prove  that  the 
motives  that  inspired  his  benevolence  were  unselfish,  ideal, 
and  Christlike.  He  was  not  laboring  to  establish  an 
American  regime  in  Oregon. 

3d.  In  his  advocacy  of  the  form  of  local  government 
herein  referred  to  is  evidenced  his  loyalty  to  England. 

Dr.  H.  K.  Hines,  in  his  book,  "Missionary  History  of 
the  Pacific  Northwest,"  says  of  Dr.  IMcLoughlin :  "He 
11 


162  The  Conquerors 

was  a  very  intelligent  and  able  man,  a  giant  both  in  body 
and  mind." 

Dr.  John  McLoughlin  was  bora  October  19,  1784, 
near  Quebec,  Canada.  His  father,  John  McLoughlin,  was 
born  in  Ireland.  Dr.  McLoughlin  was  educated  in  Can- 
ada and  Scotland. 

He  died  September  3,  1857,  at  Oregon  City. 

Judge  J.  C.  Moreland,  in  an  article  published  in  the 
Pacific  Christian  Advocate  of  June  20,  1906,  says  of  Dr. 
McLoughlin's  attitude  toward  the  Provisional  Govern- 
ment: "Dr.  jMcLoughlin,  and  all  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany's interests,  were  against  it,  and  continued  against  it 
so  long  as  there  was  any  possibility  of  this  country  being 
declared  British  territory.  He  was  in  no  sense  the  'Father 
of  Oregon,'  He  wanted  to  father  a  British  child,  but  the 
attempt  was  a  failure." 

The  facts  in  the  case  prove  the  correctness  of  the 
statement  of  Judge  Moreland. 

The  action  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  in  making 
sale  of  lands  or  leasing  them,  and  exercising  the  preroga- 
tives of  ownership  of  the  Oregon  country,  referred  to  in 
the  memorial  presented  to  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States  by  David  Leslie  and  others,  as  given  elsewhere  in 
these  pages,  was  the  outgrowth  of  the  policy  of  Dr.  Mc- 
Loughlin. It  would  have  been  impossible  for  this  move- 
ment to  strengthen  and  perpetuate  the  dominance  of  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company,  to  have  attained  the  alarming  pro- 
portions indicated  by  the  memorialists,  without  his  active 
support  and  the  exercise  of  the  almost  kingly  authority 
vested  in  him  as  the  manager  of  that  company. 

The  facts  contained  in  this  book  give  evidence  of  the 
strong  personal  friendship  that  existed  between  Mr.  Lee 
and  Dr.  McLoughlin,  yet  these  men  were  the  representa- 
tives of  the  rival  claimants  for  national  supremacy  in  the 
old  Oregon  country. 


DR.  JOHN   McLOlGHl.lM.  SIR  JAMES  DOUGLASS. 


DR.  W.  K.  TOLMIE.  MR.   EDWARD   MUGGINS. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     1G3 

Dr.  McLoughlin  could  easily  have  put  such  imi)e(li- 
incnts  in  the  way  of  Mr.  Lee  as  would  have  rendered  his 
work  a  failure,  and  his  stay  in  the  country  impossihle. 
Thus  the  p^reatness  of  his  character  and  the  genuineness 
of  his  kindness  is  seen,  not  only  in  what  he  did  do,  but 
also  in  what  he  did  not  do. 

'JMiat  there  were  no  serious  collisions  between  the 
parties  struggling  for  national  control  was  due  largely  to 
the  fact  that  the  noble  spirits  of  Jason  Lee  and  Dr.  Mc- 
Loughlin controlled  in  the  case,  and  secured  a  peaceful 
outcome. 

Sir  James  Douglass,  Dr.  W.  F.  Tolmie,  Mr.  A.  C. 
Anderson,  P.  S.  Ogdcn,  Archibald  McDonald,  John 
Work,  Edward  Huggins,  and  many  other  officers  of  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company  were  men  of  excellent  character. 
The  success  of  the  company  financially  was  due  in  a  large 
degree  to  the  effective  management  of  the  company's 
affairs  by  its  officers. 

A  Gre;at  Ciiangk  Was  Taking  Place;. 

A  wonderful  transition  period  in  the  life  of  the 
American  Missionary  Colony  had  its  beginning  in  1840. 
It  marked  a  new  era,  and  the  birth  of  decisive  and  perma- 
nent conditions  in  the  growth  and  development  of  the 
American  settlement.  New  and  important,  because  there 
were  in  it  so  many  facts  and  incidents  indicating  a  change 
in  the  political  status  of  the  Oregon  question.  This  was 
the  logical  outgrowth  of  the  coming  of  the  Great  Rein- 
forcement and  the  creation  of  an  overwhelming  public 
sentiment  in  behalf  of  Oregon  throughout  the  country, 
and  the  results  of  this  enlargement  pointed  with  a  cer- 
tainty that  was  irresistible  to  the  triumph  of  the  American 
contention. 


164  The  Conquerors 

The  settler's  cabin  was  taking  the  place  of  the  Indian 
wigAvam,  and  the  conditions  and  appliances  of  civilized 
life  were  overthrowing  the  pagan  customs  of  former  cen- 
turies. Up  to  1840  it  had  been  an  Indian  mission,  with 
the  missionaries  depending  upon  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany for  the  supplies  they  were  obliged  to  purchase  for 
their  subsistence.  After  that  date,  the  mission  assumed 
the  character  of  an  independent  and  self-sustaining 
American  commvmity,  possessing  elements  of  growth  and 
permanency,  and  the  event  which  contributed  most  to  this 
result,  and  made  it  possible,  was  the  enlargement  herein 
referred  to. 

The  marvelous  clianges  that  took  place  in  the  person- 
nel of  the  population,  and  also  in  the  political  status  of 
Oregon,  from  1834  to  1840,  were  remarkable  for  their 
suddenness,  and  for  their  far-reaching  significance. 

In  less  than  ten  years  after  Jason  Lee  had  established 
his  mission  in  Oregon,  the  race  that  had  occupied  and 
dominated  the  country  for  ages,  and  were  here  in  large 
numbers,  had  well  nigh  disappeared  ;  another  race  had  en- 
tered the  arena  and  laid  the  foundations  of  empire,  pre- 
paratory not  only  to  the  dominance  of  Oregon,  but  also  to 
the  planting  of  their  institutions  in  other  lands,  and  giving 
to  the  world  a  better  and  larger  conception  of  human 
brotherhood  than  it  had  before. 

Dr.  H.  K.  Hines  says : 

From  the  spring  of  1838  to  that  of  1843  changes  that  hardly 
have  a  parallel  in  the  history  of  races  had  occurred  in  the  Wil- 
lamette Valley. 

The  Indian  race  had  practically  melted  away. 

Those  for  whom  Mr.  Lee  and  his  co-workers  had  come  to 
labor,  and  if  need  be  die,  had  themselves  died,  and  left  him  and 
his  helpers  standing  in  the  ashes  of  the  harvest  field  swept  as 
by  fire.  The  changes  were  sudden  and  mighty.  The  vast  num- 
ber of  natives  seen  by  Lewis  and  Clark  along  the  shores  of  the 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     1G5 

Columbia  and  the  Willamette  had  disappeared  before  the  gleam 
of  the  coming  civilization,  like  frost  before  the  rising  sun.  That 
they  were  here,  that  they  had  been  here  for  ages,  is  incontestable. 
The  evidences  were  everywhere.  The  deposits  of  their  an- 
cient camps,  huge  shell  heaps,  the  refuse  of  their  kitchens,  pestles 
and  mortars,  arrowheads  and  other  stone  implements  found 
everywhere,  from  the  sea  coast  to  mountain  peaks,  on  bays  and 
in  deep  forests  overgrown  by  trees  centuries  old,  in  alluvial  banks 
that  it  took  ages  for  rivers  and  seas  to  build,  are  among  the  in- 
dubitable records  that  demonstrate  it.  These  nations  and  tribes 
were  innumerable  and  distinctly  marked  in  mental  and  physical 
characteristics  and  tongues.  Without  a  language  that  could  be 
made  the  vehicle  of  a  literature,  they  were.,  as  a  body,  incom- 
petent to  receive  and  assimilate  mentally  and  spiritually  a  let- 
tered faith.  And  with  the  outgoing  of  the  Indians  was  the  in- 
coming of  a  people  of  Anglo-Saxon  origin;  they  came  to  in- 
augurate a  system  that  would  be  alike  helpful  to  the  Indians,  to 
themselves,  and  to  all  who  might  desire  to  join  them  in  their 
efforts  for  the  evangelization  and  the  American  conquest  of 
Oregon. 

First  Flour  Mill. 

The  machinery  for  the  flour  mill  built  by  the  mission- 
aries did  not  at  first  work  as  perfectly  as  its  projectors 
had  hoped ;  these  defects,  however,  were  soon  remedied. 
Of  this,  Mr.  Bancroft,  the  historian,  says : 

The  sagacious  superintendent  had  feared  this  result,  from 
the  employment  of  preacher  mechanics,  and  had  insisted  on 
bringing  out  a  majority  of  laymen,  but  the  Board  had  thought 
that  preachers  were  wanted  for  the  missions,  while  the  idea  of 
Jason  Lee  was  material  development  in  connection  with  his  mis- 
sionary work. 

The  first  church  in  North  America  west  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  was  built  at  Willamette  Falls  (Oregon  City), 
in  1843.  Action  looking  to  the  erection  of  this  building, 
and  taking  subscriptions  to  meet  the  cost,  was  begun  in 
1842.  <^ 

Mr.  Lee  placed  this  work  in  the  hands  of  Rev.  A.  F. 
Waller. 


1G6  The  Conquerors 

George  Abernethy,  who  soon  thereafter  was  chosen 
as  the  first  Governor  of  Oregon,  took  great  interest  in  its 
erection. 

The  preamble  to  the  subscription  is  in  the  handwrit- 
ing of  Rev.  A.  F.  Waller,  and  is  as  follows : 

Willamette  Falls,  December  21,  1842.  We,  the  subscrib- 
ers, do  hereby  agree  to  pay  on  demand  the  several  sums  set 
opposite  our  names  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  chapel  for  the 
use  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  said  house  or  chapel  to 
be  built  as  soon  as  possible,  and  held  in  trust  for  said  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  by  a  committee  of  five,  to  be  elected  annually 
by  the  society  and  staled  hearers  qf  the  congregation  at  a  meet- 
ing for  that  purpose,  until  a  lawful  corporation  can  be  had  and 
proper  trustees  appointed  to  hold  said  house  and  premises.  Said 
committee  for  the  present  year  to  be :  George  Abernethy,  Robert 
Shortess,  David  Carter,  A.  F.  Waller,  and  C.  Rogers,  who  will 
have  charge  of  the  building  of  said  chapel,  and  to  whom  sub- 
scriptions shall  be  paid,  said  house  to  be  of  frame,  and  of  such 
size  as  the  committee  shall  judge  proper,  considering  the  amount 
of  subscription. 

George  Abernathy,  $100;  John  Force,  $100;  Jason  Lee,  $50; 
A.  F.  Waller,  $50;  L.  II.  Judson,  $50;  Elijah  White,  $50;  J.  L. 
Parish,  $50 ;  David  Leslie,  $50 ;  W.  H.  Wilson,  $50 ;  A.  E  .Wilson, 
$30;  Robert  Sliortess,  $30;  James  R.  Robb,  $30;  S.  Smith,  $25; 
W.  H.  Gray,  $25;  W.  H.  Pheiffcr,  $25;  John  McCard,  $20;  L.  J. 
Hubbard,  $20;  Wm.  C.  Sutton,  $20;  G.  W.  LeBreton,  $20;  S.  C. 
Pomeroy,  $12;  James  O'Ncil,  $10;  Wm.  Perry,  $10;  J.  E.  Long, 
$10;  N.  R.  Stoughton,  $10;  A.  Beers,  $10;  John  Dabenbis,  three 
days'  work ;  Joseph  Yatter,  two  days'  work. 

The  work  was  entered  upon  immediately,  under  the 
direction  of  the  Committee  of  Five.  The  movement  for 
the  erection  of  this  church,  and  that  at  Chemekete  for  the 
buildiug  of  the  Oregon  Institute,  and  the  coming  of  emi- 
grants of  that  year  tmdcr  Dr.  White,  made  T842  a  very 
im])ortant  year  in  the  history  of  Oregon.  The  mills  at 
Chemekete,  bcgtm  in  1840,  were  in  successful  oi)cration. 
T'crmancnt  American  homes  in  large  niuubcrs  were  being 


11  I  h  1  ^  i  5l 


Mm  1  III  i 


Or 


^^ii 


FIRST  CHURCH   ERECTED   IN  THE  OREGON   COUNTRY 


LEE  iVIiSSION    CEMETERY 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     1G7 

established.  These  were  pivotal  and  determining  events  in 
securing  and  hastening  American  su])remacy  in  the  Ore- 
gon country.  This  rapid  increase  in  numbers,  strength, 
and  influence  made  the  American  solution  of  the  Oregon 
question  in  the  near  futu-e  inevitable. 

First  Educationai,  Institution. 

The  first  school  on  the  western  shores  of  North  Amer- 
ica was  that  established  by  Rev.  Jason  Lee  in  the  Amer- 
ican Mission  Settlement,  ten  miles  north  of  Salem,  Ore., 
in  1834. 

The  pupils  were  Indians.  Cyrus  Shcpard  was  placed 
in  charge  of  this  department  of  the  mission  work.  He 
was  a  noble  man,  a  fine  scholar,  a  devoted  Christian,  and 
a  true  missionary.  A  log  cabin,  twenty  by  thirty  feet  in 
size,  was  erected  and  used  for  school  and  other  pur- 
poses, and  was  known  as  the  Mission  House.  On  the 
Lausanne,  the  MayHozvcr  of  the  Pacific  coast,  October 
25,  1839,  the  centennial  anniversary  of  Methodism  was 
observed  with  appropriate  services,  under  the  guidance  of 
Jason  Lee. 

Rev.  Gustavus  Hines  preached  the  centennial  sermon, 
and  a  collection  of  $650  was  taken  toward  establishing  a 
school  for  white  children  in  Oregon. 

January  17,  1842,  a  meeting  was  held  at  Jason  Lee's 
residence  at  Chemekete  (Salem)  to  consider  the  matter  of 
providing  facilities  for  the  education  of  white  children 
in  the  Oregon  country. 

As  a  result  of  this  gathering  a  call  was  made  for  an- 
other meeting  in  February  following  at  the  Mission 
House. 

At  this  second  meeting,  it  was  determined  to  establish 
a  school  that  would  be  the  beginning  of  a  college,  and  that 


168  The  Conquerors 

it  should  be  called  "The  Oregon  Institute."  The  follow- 
ing persons  were  elected  trustees :  Jason  Lee,  David  Les- 
lie, Gustavus  Hines,  J.  L.  Parish,  L.  H.  Judson,  George 
Abernathy,  Alanson  Beers,  H.  Campbell,  and  Dr.  Ira  L. 
Babcock. 

This  action  was  not  taken  by  the  mission,  as  such,  but 
by  the  members  of  the  mission,  in  their  individual  capac- 
ity as  men  and  citizens,  in  view  of  a  great  and  im- 
perative need  of  the  country  as  a  rapidly  forming  civic 
community. 

If  it  appears,  as  it  certainly  does,  that  it  was  the  ex- 
clusive action  of  the  members  of  the  Methodist  Mission 
Settlement,  it  was  simply  because  at  that  time,  early  in 
1842,  this  mission  comprised  nearly  all  the  American  cit- 
izens of  the  country. 

The  location  decided  upon  was  on  Wallace  Prairie, 
about  two  and  one-half  miles  below  where  Salem  now 
stands.  In  1844  this  property  was  sold,  and  Mr.  Lee's 
Indian  Manual  Labor  School  building  was  purchased. 
This  building  was  erected  in  1842,  and  was  located  on 
what  is  now  the  campus  of  the  Willamette  University. 

It  was  opened  in  its  new  relation  to  the  educational 
work  of  Oregon,  August  16,  1844,  with  Mrs.  C.  A.  Wil- 
son as  teacher.  We  give  herewith  a  pictorial  representa- 
tion of  this  building,  the  cost  in  the  erection  of  which 
was  $10,000.  Then,  and  for  several  years  thereafter,  it 
was  the  finest  building  in  Oregon.  Within  its  walls  many 
of  the  pioneer  young  people  of  the  Pacific  Northwest  re- 
ceived an  education  that  prepared  them  to  fill  positions  of 
prominence  and  usefulness,  as  journalists,  physicians, 
ministers,  teachers,  legislators,  and  places  in  the  literary, 
the  home,  the  civil,  and  the  religious  life  of  the  Pacific 
coast.  The  Oregon  Institute  was  merged  into  the  Wil- 
lamette University  in  1853. 


KIKSI'   DWKM.INt;   I'.ril.r   in   SALEM,  CAI'ITAI,  OF 
OREGON,  iSf-'. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Coiintr/j     KJO 

The  city  of  Salem  was  founded  bv  Jason  Lee  and  the 
missionaries.  He  broke  ground  for  the  mills  and  the 
first  buildings  in  June,  1840.  It  has  been  occupied  con- 
tinuously by  Americans  since  that  time. 

The  city  was  named  by  David  Leslie.  The  dwelling 
seen  in  the  picture  given  herewith  was  the  residence  of 
Jason  Lee.  It  was  one  of  the  first  dwellings  erected  in 
Salem,  and  was  painted  white,  with  verandas  in  the  upper 
and  lower  stories  painted  green.  Here  the  first  meeting 
was  held,  at  which  preliminary  arrangements  were  made 
for  founding  the  school  now  known  as  the  Willamette 
University.  Here,  also,  the  first  meeting  was  held  to 
consider  the  necessity  and  the  means  necessary  to  se- 
cure the  establishment  of  a  Provisional  Government  in 
Oregon. 

This  home  of  Jason  Lee  was  not  only  one  of  the  first 
frame  buildings  erected  in  Oregon,  but  it  was  then,  and 
for  some  time  thereafter,  the  finest  private  residence  of 
American  construction  on  the  western  coast  of  North 
America. 

The  first  camp-meeting  that  occurred  on  the  Pacific 
coast  among  the  white  people  exclusively  was  that  held 
on  the  Tualatin  Plains,  near  Hillsboro,  Ore.,  beginning 
July  12,  1843.  The  ministers  present  were  Jason  Lee, 
Gustavus  Hines,  H.  W.  K.  Perkins,  David  Leslie,  and 
Harvey  Clark.  Sixty  persons  comprised  the  congrega- 
tion on  Sunday,  nineteen  of  whom  were  unconverted. 
Sixteen  of  these  gave  their  hearts  to  God,  and  rejoiced 
in  a  consciousness  of  pardon  before  the  services  of  the 
day  were  over. 

Among  those  converted  on  this  remarkable  occasion 
were  several  who  had  been  trappers  and  traders  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains.     One  of  them  was  to  become  distin- 


170  The  Conquerors 

guished  for  the  prominent  part  he  took  in  securing  Amer- 
ican supremacy  in  Oregon.     Dr.  H.  K.  Hines  says : 

In  the  gracious  influence  of  that  hour,  Joseph  Meek  ex- 
claimed, "Tell  everybody  that  Joseph  Meek,  the  old  Rocky  Moun- 
tain sinner,  has  turned  to  the  Lord."  If  subsequently  he  did 
not  prove  faithful  to  the  purpose  and  the  profession  of  that 
day,  it  indicated  the  hallowed  power  that  rested  upon  the  people, 
and  doubtless  also  the  loftiest  tide  of  spiritual  life  that  ever 
touched  the  soul  of  Joseph  L.  Meek.  Probably  few  meetings 
ever  held  have  produced  a  more  profound  and  blessed  effect 
upon  those  present,  and  upon  the  population  of  the  country, 
than  did  this. 

Dr.  H.  K.  Hines  says  of  a  camp-meeting  he  attended 
in  the  Willamette  Valley  at  a  little  later  period : 

About  one  thousand  people  were  presnt.  Many  of  them 
came  quite  a  distance  in  ox  wagons,  bearing  upon  their  faded 
and  soiled  covers  the  mottoes  they  bore  when  crossing  the  plains. 
Among  these  legends  were:  "Fifty-four  Forty  or  Fight,"  "Em- 
pire Moves  Westward,"  "Where  Rolls  the  Oregon,"  "Oregon 
and  Freedom,"  "Oregon  or  Over  Jordan." 

An  Important  Factor  in  the  Setti,ement  o^  the 
Orkgon  Question 

was  the  coming  to  the  coast  of  a  large  number  of  Christian 
women.  They  were  heroines  of  the  noblest  type.  Mrs. 
Narcissa  Whitman,  the  wife  of  Dr.  Whitman,  and  Mrs. 
Ehza  A.  Spanlding,  wife  of  Rev.  H.  H.  Spaulding,  were 
the  first  American  women  to  enter  these  pagan  solitudes. 
They  came  to  Oregon  with  their  husbands  in  1836.  In 
1838,  two  years  thereafter,  the  wives  and  families  of  Rev. 
Gushing  Eells  and  Rev.  E.  Walker  were  added  to  the  list 
of  American  families  who  were  associated  with  Dr. 
Whitman  in  his  mission  field  east  of  the  Cascade  Moun- 
tains. 

In  July,  1836,  a  niuuber  of  elect  women  were  sent  to 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     171 

the  coast  by  the  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  They  reached  Oregon  in  May,  1837. 
They  were,  next  to  Mrs.  Whitman  and  Mrs.  Spaulding, 
the  pioneers  of  their  sex  to  enter  upon  Christian  mission 
work  in  Oregon.  Their  names  were :  Mrs.  Alanson  Beers, 
Mrs.  E.  White,  Miss  Anna  M.  Pittman,  Miss  Susan 
Downing,  and  Miss  Elvira  Johnson,  and  these  were  fol- 
lowed by  a  much  larger  number  in  1839.  Thus  the  bless- 
ings of  home  and  family  life  were  associated  with  the 
early  history  of  Oregon. 

This  did  much  to  awaken  an  interest  throughout  the 
United  States  in  behalf  of  the  missionary  settlements  in 
Oregon. 

Statement  of  Daniki,  Wkbste;r. 

In  1840,  Mr.  Daniel  Webster  wrote  to  Mr.  Edward 
Everett,  our  Minister  to  England,  as  follows:  "The  own- 
ership of  Oregon  is  likely  to  follow  the  greater  settlement 
and  tlie  larger  amount  of  population." 

This,  as  the  basis  to  the  solution  of  the  Oregon  ques- 
tion, was  implied  in  the  treaty  of  1818,  and  its  importance 
was  recognized,  not  only  by  the  settlers  in  Oregon,  but 
also  by  the  people  of  the  United  States  and  of  England. 
These,  with  many  other  acts  and  official  utterances  of  a 
kindred  sort,  gave  unmistakable  proof  of  the  interest 
taken  by  the  Government  of  the  United  States  in  the  solu- 
tion of  the  Oregon  question. 

A  large  number  of  the  members  of  Congress  were  not 
only  interested  in  all  that  pertained  to  the  welfare  of 
Oregon,  but  they  were  enthusiastic  in  their  support  of 
all  measures  that  would  contribute  to  her  upbuilding. 
This  is  especially  true  of  many  of  the  leading  Democratic 
Senators  of  that  period.  Senator  Linn  and  others  were 
the  steadfast  friends  of  Oregon.    They  were  watchful  of 


172  The  Conquerors 

her  interests,  and  persistent  and  determined  in  their 
efforts  to  secure  for  her  the  largest  recognition  and  ad- 
vancement possible. 

They  thus  voiced  the  sentiment  of  the  country  in  re- 
gard to  the  settlement  of  the  Oregon  question. 

The  most  casual  observer  can  not  fail  to  see  how  use- 
less would  have  been  an  effort  to  barter  Oregon  away 
under  these  circumstances,  and,  if  attempted,  it  would 
have  been  impossible  to  have  consummated  the  deal. 
These  men  in  Congress  could  not  have  been  defeated 
when  they  were  backed  by  a  public  sentiment  that  was  ir- 
resistible, and  when,  in  addition  thereto,  they  had  ad- 
vantage of  the  prestige  and  strength  that  the  United 
States  Government  had  secured  by  the  claim  it  had  uni- 
formly and  repeatedly  made,  covering  a  period  of  many 
years,  in  its  correspondence  with  England,  that  the  forty- 
ninth  parallel  would  be  the  best  terms  this  Government 
could  offer ;  thereby  establishing  a  precedent  and  a  claim 
that  no  officer  of  the  Government  could  safely  ignore, 
and  which  the  President  himself  would  be  powerless  to 
abrogate. 

In  view  of  these  facts,  how  utterly  inconsistent  and 
untenable  the  claim  that  Oregon  was  about  to  be  bartered 
away. 

Never  after  Jason  Lee's  second  great  missionary  tour 
has  Oregon  been  in  the  slightest  danger  of  being  lost  to 
the  United  States. 

The  facts  involved  afford  incontrovertible  proof  of 
the  correctness  of  this  statement. 

Differences  of   Opinion. 
The  missionaries,  in  some  instances,  differed  in  judg- 
ment as  to  the  best  methods  of  action  in  the  management 
of  their  work.    Some  were  in  favor  of  adopting  what  they 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     173 

pleased  to  call  a  thoroughly  religious  plan  of  work,  leav- 
ing out  the  industrial  features,  and  the  acquiring  of  prop- 
erty to  be  used  for  secular  purposes.  In  some  cases  the 
missionaries  secured  holdings  in  property  for  their  own 
personal  use.  This  was  not  remarkable,  for  the  reason 
that  they  recognized  the  fact  that,  if  they  succeeded  in 
their  efforts,  the  country  would  be  brought  under  the  con- 
trol of  the  Government  of  the  United  States ;  that  the 
American  missionary  colony  would  then  lose  its  identity 
by  being  merged  into  the  general  and  larger  American 
settlement  that  would  follow  it.  They  were  American 
citizens,  and  intended  to  remain  in  Oregon  as  a  part  of 
its  permanent  population ;  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  for 
it  was  natural,  and  certainly  not  criminal,  that  they  de- 
sired to  make  some  provision  for  the  time  when  they 
would  need  permanent  homes  for  themselves  and  families. 

Mr.  Lee  took  up  no  land  for  his  own  personal  use. 
All  his  thought  and  effort  was  directed  to  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  work  that  had  been  committed  to  his 
hands.  He  was  wholly  consecrated  to  the  cause  of  God 
and  humanity,  and  was  incapable  of  being  controlled  by 
selfish  aims  and  purposes.    He  especially  desired : 

1st.  That  the  Indians,  in  whose  behalf  he  came  to  the 
coast,  should  be  protected  and  provided  for. 

2d.  That  the  interests  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  should  be  placed  in  the  best  possible  position  for 
the  accomplishment  of  good. 

3d.  That,  through  the  American  colony  he  had  estab- 
lished, Oregon  should  be  brought  under  the  control  of  the 
Government  of  the  United  States. 

Some  of  Air.  Lee's  helpers  in  the  mission  -work  did 
occupy  land  with  a  view  of  devoting  it  to  their  own  per- 
sonal use.  For  their  action  in  this  matter  neither  Mr.  Lee, 
the   Missionary    Society,   nor   the   Methodist   Episcopal 


174  The  Conquerors 

Church  were  responsible.  It  is  due  to  them  to  say  that, 
judged  by  the  best  moral  standards  known  to  men,  if 
these  lands  acquired  for  individual  purposes  were  secured 
in  a  legitimate  manner,  if  the  management  of  the  property 
thereafter  was  in  harmony  with  the  principles  enunciated 
in  the  Golden  Rule,  Matthew  vi,  12  (this  is  God's  rule, 
and  no  declaration  of  human  sentiment,  warped  by  preju- 
dice, can  change  or  abrogate  it)  ;  if  the  occupancy  of  the 
land  was  governed  by  these  principles,  then  there  is 
nothing  expressed  or  implied  in  any  law,  whether  it  be 
human  or  Divine,  that  was  compromised  in  securing  it, 
for  these  men  expected  to  remain  in  the  country.  They 
were  American  citizens,  and  as  such  they  had  a  right  to 
the  privileges  and  advantages  that  belonged  to  their  cit- 
izenship. 

The  opponents  of  American  supremacy,  however,  used 
this  as  a  cause  of  accusation  against  the  missionaries,  and 
said  they  were  mercenary  and  venal  because  they  acquired 
property  and  devoted  it  to  their  own  personal  use. 

It  will  assist  to  a  better  understanding  of  this  matter 
to  take  into  account  the  conditions  that  prevailed  in  the 
country  at  that  time. 

1st.  There  was  bitterness  of  feeling  between  those 
who  advocated  the  American  claim  and  those  who  favored 
the  British  contention,  and  this  was  responsible  in  large 
part  for  the  personal  criminations  and  recriminations  of 
that  period.  All  were  interested  in  the  issue  involved, 
and  in  this,  as  in  a  closely  contested  political  campaign, 
they  gave  expression  to  their  preferences  and  prejudices 
by  calling  the  missionaries  political  manipulators  and 
other  names  of  a  kindred  sort. 

2d.  The  missionaries,  being  the  leaders  in  the  work 
that  led  up  to  the  formation  of  the  Provisional  Govern- 
ment, and  also  in  effecting  its  organization,  stood  for  all 


Settlement  of  Hie  Oregon  Country     175 

the  condemnation  of  their  opponents.  Errors  were  mag- 
nified, or  so  changed  in  form  and  dress  as  to  appear  dif- 
ferent from  what  they  really  were,  and  these  statements 
and  reports  involving  the  character  and  action  of  the  mis- 
sionaries were,  in  many  instances,  conspicuous  for  their 
falsity.  These  things  were  the  logical  results  of  the  con- 
ditions that  prevailed. 

3d.  The  severe  criticism  and  denunciation  of  the  mis- 
sionaries by  their  opponents  was  a  recognition  of  the 
effectiveness  of  their  work  and  an  unintended  tribute  to 
its  success.  Had  they  failed  in  their  efforts  to  secure 
American  supremacy,  these  criticisms  would  have  been 
shorn  of  their  vindictiveness. 

4th.  On  the  5th  of  July,  1843  (the  crowning  day  in 
the  calendar  of  Oregon  history),  when  the  members  of 
the  mission  and  the  American  settlers  associated  with 
them  came  out  from  that  memorable  meeting  they  were 
united  in  their  loyalty  to  Oregon  and  in  the  recognition  of 
their  duty  to  the  great  commonwealth  that  their  work  and 
sacrifices  had  made  possible. 

Whatever  they,  the  missionaries,  were,  or  were  not; 
whatever  they  did,  or  did  not,  they  were,  as  Americans, 
happy  in  the  belief  that  they  had  won  their  fight. 

5th.  It  was  impossible  to  advocate  the  American  claim 
and  put  forth  efforts  to  secure  American  supremacy  with- 
out meeting  with  bitter  antagonism  from  those  who  sup- 
ported the  British  claim ;  this  is  self  evident.  The  Hud- 
son Bay  Company  and  the  friends  of  Great  Britain  were 
not  disposed  to  give  up  the  fight  without  earnest  and 
determined  resistance,  and  the  missionary  colonists  were 
the  parties  they  regarded  as  being  responsible  for  their 
defeat. 

Mr.  John  Minto,  one  of  the  well-known  pioneers  of 
Salem,  Ore.,  says :  "There  were  almost  as  many  different 


176  The  Conquerors 

opinions  about  these  matters  as  there  were  people  in 
Oregon." 

Dr.  H.  K.  Hines  says : 

To  the  immortal  honor  of  Oregon,  it  should  be  recorded 
that  no  country  ever  had  a  greater  proportion  of  men  strong 
enough   and  wise   enough  to   govern   themselves   than   she   had. 

This  was  the  result  of  the  auspices  under  which  the  foun- 
dations of  her  civilization  were  laid.  Her  pioneers  were  the 
missionaries  of  the  cross,  and  no  names  are  mentioned  so  often 
by  her  historians  as  are  those  of  the  noble  missionaries,  beginning 
with  the  name  of  Jason  I^ee,  in  1834.  No  part  of  the  territory 
over  which  floats  the  flag  of  the  United  States  is  so  vitally  and 
essentially  American  as  is  that  part  of  the  Pacific  coast  originally 
known  as  the  Oregon  country. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Tribute  to  Jason  Lee — Good  Leadership  Neces- 
sary to  Success 

In  any  large  and  important  enterprise,  either  secular 
or  religious,  good  leadership  is  an  essential  element  of 
success.  With  it,  other  things  being  equal,  success  is 
assured ;  without  it,  failure  is  almost  inevitable.  The  im- 
portance of  wise  and  consecrated  leadership  was  very 
forcibly  illustrated  in  the  work  of  the  missionaries  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Oregon,  under  the  guid- 
ing hand  of  Rev.  Jason  Lee.  His  executive  ability  and 
statesmanlike  leadership  is  seen: 

I  St.  In  forming  and  bringing  to  the  coast  the  largest 
missionary  company  ever  organized  in  the  United  States. 

2d.  In  securing  financial  help  for  his  great  enterprise. 

3d.  In  arousing  intense  interest  in  the  Oregon  ques- 
tion. 

4th.  In  the  strategic  locations  he  selected  for  the  es- 
tablishment of  his  missions.  They  became  centers  of 
American  influence  and  power  in  the  settlement  of  the 
Oregon  question. 

5th.  In  meeting  and  overcoming  the  difficulties  and 
dangers  that  confronted  him  in  his  work. 

1st.  Dr.  McLoughlin  could  not  sell  cattle  to  the 
American  missionaries  without  violating  the  rules  of  the 
great  company  of  which  he  was  the  manager.  This 
measure  was  designed  to  prevent  the  propagation  of  ani- 
mal life  in  Oregon  by  any  parties  except  themselves.  Mr. 
12  177 


178  The  Conquerors 

Lee  overcame  this  difficulty  by  sending  to  Northern  Mex- 
ico and  securing  a  large  herd  of  cattle. 

2d.  The  colonists  needed  supplies  and  other  articles  to 
satisfy  the  wants  of  their  daily  life,  and  for  these  they 
were  dependent  upon  the  Hudson  Bay  Company.  Mr. 
Lee  brought  to  the  coast  in  1840  a  large  amount  of  stores 
and  machinery  and  other  articles  needed  for  his  American 
colony,  which  made  them  independent  of  that  great  com- 
pany. 

3d.  The  subjects  of  Great  Britain,  in  1833,  by  virtue 
of  the  Joint  Occupancy  Treaty  and  the  settlement  they 
had  made,  were  in  a  position  to  perpetuate  their  hold 
upon  the  country.  Mr.  Lee  brought  to  the  country  a  suf- 
ficient number  of  missionaries  and  settlers  to  more  than 
counterbalance  the  scale  in  favor  of  the  American  con- 
tention. 

4th.  It  was  difficult  to  bring  families  to  Oregon 
quickly  by  way  of  the  plains,  with  the  equipment  neces- 
sary to  sustain  them  for  a  long  period.  Mr.  Lee  solved 
the  problem  and  made  the  success  and  the  permanency  of 
his  work  certain  by  chartering  a  ship  and  entering  Oregon 
from  the  sea.  The  coming  of  this  precious  cargo  met 
the  demands  of  the  case  promptly  and  effectively. 

5th.  When  the  liquor  demon  was  in  the  act  of  fasten- 
ing his  deadly  fangs  in  the  vitals  of  Oregon,  Jason  Lee, 
with  his  characteristic  wisdom  and  energy,  bridged  the 
cliasm  and  saved  the  American  cause  in  Oregon  from 
utter  destruction. 

6th.  When  the  few  Americans  in  Oregon  sat  in  the 
shadows  of  an  Indian  massacre,  that  threatened  to  sweep 
them  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  Jason  Lee,  at  the  risk 
of  his  life,  braved  the  storms  and  dangers  of  a  mid- 
winter journey  in  a  canoe  to  The  Dalles,  and  was  pre- 
eminently successful  in  averting  the  danger,  by  turning 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     179 

the  thoughts  and  the  hearts  of  the  Inchans  Gochvard,  and 
securing'  their  consent  to  walk  in  the  pathways  of  peace 
and  righteousness. 

7th.  In  1833  the  ahsohite  necessity  for  prompt  and 
vigorous  action  in  bringing  to  the  attention  of  the  people 
of  the  United  States  the  facts  respecting  the  Oregon  ques- 
tion was  apparent,  to  the  end  that  they  might  see  and  un- 
derstand its  importance,  and  assert  the  rightfulness  of 
their  claim  to  the  Oregon  country. 

Mr.  Lee,  in  his  two  great  missionary  tours  of  the 
United  States,  was  overwhelmingly  successful  in  creating 
conditions  that  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  were  powerless 
to  overcome.  His  eloquent  appeals  in  behalf  of  Oregon 
carried  conviction  to  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and  started 
the  fires  of  patriotic  enthusiasm  everywhere. 

8th.  The  missionaries  needed  the  protection  that  a 
well-ordered  government  would  afford  to  safeguard  their 
interests.  To  meet  this  demand  they  established  a  local 
government  and  framed  and  executed  laws  for  their  own 
protection  and  that  of  the  American  colony  they  had  es- 
tablished. 

9th.  A  large  amount  of  money  was  necessary  to 
finance  the  Oregon  missionary  movement  and  secure  the 
results  herein  referred  to ;  without  it  success  would  have 
been  impossible,  and  failure  inevitable.  The  work  of  rais- 
ing it  w^as  encompassed  with  very  grave  doubt  and  diffi- 
culty. For  that  period  and  purpose  the  financial  results 
of  his  two  great  missionary  tours  were  unprecedented,  and 
have  not  been  equaled  in  the  history  of  missionary  move- 
ments. 

Thus  the  difficulties  associated  with  the  Oregon  move- 
ment were  overcome,  and  the  demands  of  the  case  fully 
met  under  the  skillful  and  effective  management  of  Jason 
Lee. 


180  The  Conquerors 

His  ability  to  plan  and  to  secure  such  a  grip  upon  his 
work  as  to  bring  great  things  to  pass  in  the  execution  of 
his  purpose  made  him  an  ideal  man  for  leadership  in  one 
of  the  greatest  movements  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

The  really  great  man  and  great  leader  is  he  who  sees 
what  ought  to  be  done,  and  moves  forward  to  its  accom- 
plishment, who  establishes  himself  as  the  central  force 
around  which  the  efforts  of  others  may  gather,  who,  when 
difficulties  arise,  is  able  to  overcome  them,  and  who  can 
meet  the  demands  of  the  case  he  has  in  hand  effectively 
and  successfully  ;  such  was  Jason  Lee. 

Who  and  what  accomplished  most 

To  redeem  and  save  this  Western  coast? 

By  whom    was    this    mighty   problem   wrought, 

And  order  out  of  chaos  brought? 

When  God  would  break  the  chains  of  American  slav- 
ery, He  brought  forward  a  Lincoln  and  a  Grant  as  His 
instruments  to  execute  His  purpose. 

And  when,  in  the  unfolding  of  God's  purposes,  the 
time  had  come  for  the  settlement  of  Oregon,  for  the  de- 
velopment of  the  great  resources  of  the  Pacific  coast  coun- 
try; when  God's  time  arrived  for  Americanizing  and 
Christianizing  the  western  side  of  the  North  American 
continent ;  when  the  day  came  for  giving  the  world  a  more 
enlarged  view  of  the  brotherhood  of  man,  and  for  opening 
the  doors  of  Asia  and  the  islands  of  the  sea  to  the  Gospel, 
to  Christian  civilization,  to  the  Bible,  to  schools,  to  com- 
merce, and  to  all  the  potential  instrumentalities  that  God 
has  ordained  for  the  betterment  of  human  conditions  and 
the  uplift  of  the  world:  then  God  raised  up  a  man  en- 
dowed with  tlic  capabilities  necessary  to  successful  lead- 
ership, and  that  man  was  Jason  Lee. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     181 

A  Demosthenes  in  strength  of  speech, 

That  did  the  hearts  of   the  people   reach; 

A  faithful  friend  and  brother  true 

To  all  men,  and  his  Savior,  too. 

A  Christian  of  the  noblest  type, 

He  stood  for  God,  for  truth,  for  right, 

The  pioneer,  the  leader,  founder 

Of  our  heritage  in  Oregon. 

Jason  Lee  was  the  pioneer  and  founder  of  Methodism 
and  of  American  institutions  in  the  Pacific  coast  country, 
in  a  somewhat  similar,  yet  in  a  much  larger,  sense  than 
General  Washington  was  the  leader  of  the  American  col- 
onists over  a  hundred  years  ago. 

He  planted  a  vigorous  American  colony  in  Oregon. 
He  planned  and  carried  out  the  movements  that  brought 
victory  to  the  colonists  in  their  efforts  to  secure  American 
supremacy  in  Oregon,  and,  in  addition  to  this,  he  raised 
the  money  to  pay  the  cost  of  the  transaction. 

Dr.  Wilbur  Fisk's  opportunity  was  unrivaled  for  the 
selection  of  a  man  for  the  superintendcncy  of  the  Oregon 
mission  whose  qualifications  would  be  equal  to  the  de- 
mands of  the  case. 

He  had  under  his  care  many  young  men  of  brilliant 
talents,  whose  devotion  to  the  cause  of  God  and  the  best 
interests  of  humanity  were  especially  noteworthy. 
Among  them  were  Jefferson  Hascal,  David  Patten,  Moses 
Hill,  Miner  Raymond,  Osman  C.  Baker,  Jason  Lee,  and 
others,  young  men  who,  in  the  after  years,  attained  to 
great  prominence  in  the  Church  and  in  the  Nation. 

When  he  suggested  the  appointment  of  a  man  who.  in 
his  judgment,  was  best  qualified  for  the  superintendcncy 
of  the  Oregon  mission,  he  said :  "I  know  of  none  like 
him."  1 

lit  would  be  difficult  to  find  .1  more  striking  instance  in  history  where  the  gift 
of  judging  men  correctly  has  had  a  clearer  exemplification  and  been  followed  by 
more  important  consequences. 


182  The  Conquerors 

Bishop  Osman  C.  Baker  said  of  Jason  Lee,  his  school- 
mate and  friend  :  "He  was  a  large,  athletic  young  man,  six 
feet  and  three  inches  in  height.  .  .  .  His  piety  was 
deep  and  uniform,  and  his  life,  in  a  very  uncommon  de- 
gree, was  pure  and  exemplary," 

Mr.  H.  H.  Bancroft,  the  historian,  says  of  Jason  Lee's 
power  to  influence  others:  "He  was  a  master  of  men." 
Of  his  popularity  he  says:  "Jason  Lee  was  frank  and 
affable.  In  his  intercourse  with  men  he  inspired  con- 
fidence, and  was  a  general  favorite."  Of  his  reliability 
he  states :  "His  truthfulness,  as  compared  with  other  au- 
thorities, is  nearly  absolute." 

"His  addresses  excited  great  interest,  and  hundreds 
expressed  their  desire  and  intention  to  emigrate  to  Ore- 
gon."— Dr.  Oregon  Richmond. 

"Jason  Lee  was  a  man  of  wonderful  eloquence  and 
power." — Francis  Richmond. 

Of  one  of  Jason  Lee's  missionary  meetings,  a  writer 
in  Zion's  Herald,  February  6,  1839,  says:  "The  address 
was  one  of  great  eloquence,  and  created  intense  enthusi- 
asm." 

Zion's  Herald,  February  27,  1839:  "No  language  of 
mine  can  convey  any  adequate  idea  of  the  great  benefit 
conferred  upon  Oregon  by  Jason  Lee." — William  A.  Sla- 
cum,  United  States  Navy. 

Bishop  E.  S.  Janes,  at  a  missionary  meeting  held  in 
Boston,  said :  "Jason  Lee,  the  original  pioneer  of  empire, 
who  scaled  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  tracked  the  desert 
plains  that  he  might  save  the  red  men  of  the  Pacific  coast. 
Blessed  man,  more  honored  in  heaven  than  he  was  on 
earth." — Zion's  Herald  of  November,  1869. 

Bishop  J.  F.  Hurst  said :  "Had  it  not  been  for  the  Lees 
the  wliole  of  Oregon,  Washington,  and  Idaho  would  have 
belonged  to  the  British." 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     183 

The  following  are  excerpts  from  the  "Missionary  His- 
tory of  the  Pacific  Northwest,"  by  Rev.  li.  K. 
nines,  D.  D.    Of  Jason  Lee  he  says : 

He  had  a  clear,  vigorous,  and  broad  intellect.     .     .     . 

Promptness  and  decision  were  prominent  elements  in  his 
character.     .     .     . 

He  was  gentle  and  winning  in  spirit.  .  .  .  He  was  a 
great  evangelist.  .  .  .  The  suffering  he  endured  will  be  as 
fruitful  in  blessing  as  the  toil  he  performed.     .     .     . 

He  was  known  not  only  as  a  remarkably  able  preacher,  but 
as  an  administrator  and  executor  of  great  intelligence  and 
force. 

Of  his  work  in  Oregon,  Dr.  Hines  says: 

It  was  the  most  wonderful  civil  and  religious  transformation 
that  the  world  has  ever  seen  in  the  same  period  of  time.     .     .     . 

Jason  Lee,  better  than  any  other  man  of  his  day,  compre- 
hended the  true  missionary  idea.  Intensely  religious,  he  was 
also  intensely  practical.     .     .     . 

No  other  missionaries  on  this  coast  equaled  him  in  fore- 
sight, even  the  keen-sighted  priests,  De  Smet,  Blanchet  and  Bron- 
illette,  and  they  were  rated  among  the  ablest  men  on  the  coast, 
did  not  equal  him  in  his  grasp  of  the  future.  Nor  did  the  men 
who,  in  J836  and  in  1838,  came  to  Oregon  under  the  direction 
of  the  American  Board.     .    .    . 

Many  in  the  Church  could  not  understand  that  his  mission 
should  have  in  it  the  colonization  and  the  expansion  idea,  that 
the  Gospel  must  be  illustrated  and  exemplified  behind  the  plow, 
at  the  blazing  forges  and  the  ringing  anvils,  at  the  bench  and 
at  the  shuttle,  everywhere  that  life  finds  lawful  use  for  itself. 

Jason  Lee  comprehended  this  from  the  first,  and  in  this  he 
was  wiser  than  his  masters,  and  wiser  than  many  who  were 
associated  with  him  in  the  mission  field  in  which  he 
wrought.     .     .     , 

It  was  the  great  merit  of  Mr.  Lee  to  comprehend  the  terms 
of  the  great  problem  of  Christian  civilization  which  he  was 
chosen  to  work  out  on  this  coast,  as  a  Christian,  a  missionary, 
a  colonizer,  an  American,  and  a  statesman. 

He  could  weigh  circumstances,  generalize  facts,  and  foresee 
conclusions.     If  those  who  had  committed  to  his  hands  the  trust 


184  The  Conquerors 

of  founding  this  Christian  commonweahh  on  the  Pacific  coast 
had  not  been  separated  from  him  by  so  great  a  distance,  or  had 
they  not  lost  their  own  judicial  balance,  and  had  left  him  to 
work  out  the  problem  of  his  mission,  the  history  we  have  to 
record  would  have  been  different.     .     .     . 

Mr.  Lee  was  intent  on  fulfilling  the  vision  that  had  come  to 
him  of  an  American  civilization  spreading  itself  over  the  West- 
ern slope  of  this  continent. 

He  saw  how  the  means  and  energy  that  Providence  had 
placed  under  his  command  should  be  used  to  secure  that  fulfill- 
ment.    .     .    . 

The  world  and  the  Church,  and  Oregon  herself,  has  never 
known  this  man  in  the  wholeness  of  his  great  heart  and 
life.     .     .     . 

The  history  of  the  missionary  work  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  Oregon  from  the  time  of  its  inception,  in 
1833,  to  the  time  of  his  departure  from  Oregon,  in  1843,  accreted 
about  the  name  and  work  of  Jason  Lee,  and  whatever  there  was 
of  civil  history,  it  also  gathers  about  the  work  of  which  he 
was  the  central  figure.  His  journey,  in  1834,  through  two  thou- 
sand miles  of  mountain  wilderness  between  the  Missouri  River 
and  the  Pacific  coast  mark  him  as  the  true  "Pathfinder"  for 
civilization  on  these  Pacific  shores.  He  toiled  among  the  most 
wretched  and  degraded  human  beings  imtil  he  had  brought  to 
that  people  some  dawning  hope  of  a  better  life.  Yet  more  strik- 
ingly was  his  character  shown  by  the  intelligence  with  which  he 
organized  and  the  fidelity  and  faithfulness  with  which  he  con- 
ducted the  Great  Reinforcement  through  the  trying  sea  voyage 
half  way  around  the  world  in  the  ship  Lausanne,  in  1839-40. 

These  characteristics,  lifted  to  llie  sublime  in  action,  are 
also  seen  in  the  last  great  journey  he  made  in  behalf  of  his  mis- 
sion and  of  Oregon. 

Report  of  Jason   Lee. 
Mr.  Lee  met  the  Missionary  Board   in  New  York, 
July  I,  1844: 

We  give  herewith  a  few  excerpts  from  his  report : 

I  desire  to  express  my  gratitude  to  God  for  His  protection, 
and  for  guiding  me  once  more  to  a  civilized  land,  and  for  per- 
mitting me  to  meet  again  with  this  Board. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     185 

From  what  I  have  heard  since  my  arrival  in  this  city  I  am 
satisfied  that  it  is  necessary  for  me  to  give  tlie  Board  all  the 
information  in  my  power  in  regard  to  the  Oregon  Mission. 

I  will  state  briefly  some  of  the  reasons  which  induced  my 
return  from  Oregon. 

I.  The  mission  has  obtained  possession  of  a  large  tract  of 
land  in  connection  with  its  work,  and,  as  a  large  emigration 
was  pouring  into  that  country,  I  believed  it  to  be  a  duty  due  to 
the  Board  to  petition  the  Government  of  the  United  States  to 
secure  to  the  Missionary  Society  the  right  of  possession.  I  be- 
lieved if  I  went  to  Washington  I  could  present  the  claims  of 
the  society  in  such  a  manner  as  would  make  a  favorable  im- 
pression on  Congress  and  the  national  authorities. 

In  my  recent  visit  to  the  federal  city  I  saw  and  conversed 
with  the  President,  with  heads  of  departments,  secretaries  and 
members  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  gave  them  my 
views  in  regard  to  these  and  other  matters  in  Oregon,  and,  1 
think,  made  a  most  favorable  impression  on  all  of  them.  Al- 
though it  could  not  be  effected  as  yet  in  a  legal  way,  I  have  no 
doubt  but  the  claims  of  the  society  will  be  favorably  considered. 
Colonel  Benton  and  others  said  our  claims  were  reasonable  and 
just  and  that,  at  a  suitable  time,  Congress  must  be  memorialized, 
a  case  made  out  and  submitted  to  that  body. 

II.  I  had  heard  that  it  was  in  contemplation  by  the  Board 
to  send  a  special  agent  to  Oregon  to  examine  into  the  condition 
and  affairs  of  the  Mission,  and  my  impression  was  that  he 
would  probably  cross  the  mountains.  I  believed  that,  availing 
myself  of  the  offered  opportunity,  I  could  reach  home  previous 
to  the  agent's  departure,  if  one  was  appointed,  and,  by  giving 
to  the  Board  a  detailed  statement  of  events  and  of  the  affairs 
of  the  mission,  might  save  the  expense  of  sending  the  con- 
templated agent. 

III.  I  had  become  fully  satisfied  that  the  Board  had  had 
such  representations  made  to  them  that  it  was  my  duty  to  appear 
before  them,  and,  so  far  as  it  was  in  my  power,  to  correct  these 
erroneous  statements  in  regard  to  the  condition  of  things  in  the 
mission. 

Affairs  in  Oregon  have  greatly  changed  since  I  had  the 
happiness  of  meeting  the  Board  last. 

I.  The  Indians  upon  the  Willamette  River  have  diminished 
in  a  surprising  degree.     .     .     . 


186  The  Conquerors 

2.  The  white  population  has  greatly  increased.  .  .  .  When 
the  Board  sent  out  its  large  reinforcement  the  object  was  that 
Methodism  should  spread  throughout  Oregon.  For  what  purpose 
else  did  it  send  out  so  large  a  number  of  laymen?  If  it  had 
been  only  to  form  one  or  two  stations  among  the  Indians,  it 
would  seem  that  both  the  Board  and  myself,  as  their  agent,  must 
have  taken  leave  of  our  senses.  .  .  .  Without  our  mission 
they  (the  early  emigrants)  could  not  have  remained  in  the 
country,  and  they  knew  it.  They  told  me  when  I  arrived  in  the 
country,  in  1840,  that  they  should  have  left  the  covmtry  unless 
I  had  taken  out  supplies  and  saved  them  from  succumbing  to  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company. 

3.  We  have  been  the  means  of  the  conversion  of  Rocky 
Mountain  men,  who  had  been  in  the  mountains  for  ten  or  fifteen 
years  and  spent  every  cent  in  drink,  and  we  have  persuaded  the 
people  who  were  living  in  concubinage  to  marry. 

They  are  now  making  a  handsome  living  and  are  industri- 
ous Christian  men  and  women. 

Never  since  the  world  was  made  has  a  settlement  of  such 
men  been  so  benefited  by  Christian  influence  as  has  the  Oregon 
settlement.     .     .     . 

Bloodthirsty  men  have  been  prevented  from  annihilating 
the  Indians.  I  have  a  paper  handed  me  just  as  I  left,  signed  by 
all  who  saw  it  but  one,  a  stranger,  which  abundantly  confirms  all 
that  I  have  said. 

These  are  brief  extracts  from  Mr,  Lee's  statement  of 
facts  to  the  Missionary  Board.    In  them  he  show^s  clearly : 

1st.  That  his  visit  to  Washington  in  the  interest  of 
his  mission  and  of  Oergon,  immediately  preceding  this 
meeting  with  the  Board  in  New  York,  was  a  matter  of 
great  importance,  and  that  it  was  so  recognized  is  evi- 
denced in  the  cordial  reception  given  him  by  the  officers 
of  the  Government,  and  in  assurances  made  of  interest  in 
his  work,  and  of  certain  and  early  relief  for  Oregon, 
which  enabled  him  to  write: 

An  Oregon  bill  will  probably  pass  next  session,  but  if  not 
next  session  the  settlers  of  Oregon  may  rest  assured  that  it  will 
pass  soon.  It  can  not  be  put  off  much  longer.  This  is  con- 
ceded even  by  the  opposition. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     187 

This  was  the  last  year  of  the  Tyler  administration. 
The  two  great  political  parties  were  aligning  themselves 
I'or  the  conflict. 

As  we  have  seen  in  these  pages,  Mr.  Lee,  more  than 
any  other  man,  was  responsible  for  popularizing  the  Ore- 
gon sentiment  that  was  sweeping  the  country.  His  part 
in  this  movement  was  well  known  to  the  managers  of  the 
Democratic  campaign,  who,  about  this  time,  adopted  the 
Oregon  question  as  their  rallying  cry. 

The  truth  is,  Jason  Lee  had  made  it  possible  for  them 
to  use  this  campaign  slogan  (Fifty- four- forty  or  fight) 
with  tremendous  effect. 

His  presence  in  Washington  and  his  ability  to  influ- 
ence others,  especially  upon  a  subject  with  which  he  was 
so  familiar,  and  in  which  he  was  so  deeply  interested  as 
he  was  about  the  Oregon  question,  gave  him  a  splendid 
opportunity  to  push  his  work  in  behalf  of  Oregon. 

2d.  Mr.  Lee's  reference  to  the  rapid  disappearance  of 
the  Indians  in  the  Willamette  Valley,  and  the  great  in- 
crease of  the  wliite  people,  indicated  that  a  remarkable 
change  was  taking  place  in  the  personnel  of  the  popula- 
tion. In  connection  with  this,  the  transfer  of  his  work  in 
large  part  from  the  Indians  to  the  white  people  was  the 
only  way  by  which  he  could  possibly  have  made  his  mis- 
sion work  a  permanent  and  large  success. 

The  outgoing  of  the  Indians  and  the  incoming  of  tlie 
white  pcoi)lc  made  this  course  a  vital  necessity  to  the 
success  of  the  mission  and  the  salvation  of  Oregon. 

Mr.  Lee's  recognition  of  this  fact  and  the  improve- 
ment he  made  of  it,  in  turning  the  feet  of  multitudes  to- 
ward these  Pacific  shores,  and  opening  the  way  for  them 
to  obtain  lands  and  homes,  under  the  prospective  pro- 
tection of  the  American  flag,  gives  evidence  of  his  ability 
as  a  statesman,  his  success  as  a  colonizer,  and  the  ef- 


188  Tlie  Conquerors 

fectiveness  of  his  service  in  the  solution  of  the  Oregon 
question. 

His  breadth  of  view  is  indicated  in  these  words : 
"When  the  Board  sent  out  its  large  reinforcement,  the 
object  was  that  Methodism  should  spread  throughout 
Oregon.  For  what  purpose  else  did  it  send  out  so  large 
a  number  of  laymen?  If  it  had  been  only  to  form  one  or 
two  stations  among  the  Indians,  it  would  seem  to  me 
that  both  the  Board  and  myself,  as  their  agent,  must 
have  taken  leave  of  our  senses." 

3d.  The  inestimable  value  of  Mr.  Lee's  work  in  behalf 
of  Oregon,  of  the  United  States,  and  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  is  evidenced  in  the  statement  he  makes 
of  the  great  amount  of  supplies  and  the  large  number  of 
people  brought  to  the  coast  for  the  purpose  of  pre- 
empting it  in  favor  of  the  United  States,  and  delivering 
the  colonists  in  the  American  settlement  he  had  estab- 
lished from  the  dominance  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company. 

His  statement  was : 

They  told  me  when  I  arrived  on  the  coast,  in  1840,  that  they 
should  have  left  the  country  luilcss  I  had  taken  out  supplies  and 
saved  them  from  succumbing  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Company. 

These  words,  and  the  facts  upon  which  they  were 
based,  give  abundant  and  incontrovertible  proof  of  the 
determining  effect  of  Mr.  Lee's  work  in  establishing  a 
self-sustaining  American  community  in  Oregon. 

4th.  Another  fact  of  pre-eminent  importance  appears 
in  Air.  Lee's  report,  viz:  The  moral  transformation  that 
had  taken  place,  and  the  great  spirittial  uplift  that  liad 
been  given  to  Oregon,  as  the  result  of  the  missions  and 
their  influence  upon  the  Indians,  upon  the  country,  and 
upon  the  mountaineers,  the  trappers,  and  the  traders, 
who  had  been  benefited  by  his  mission  work. 

His  own  words  were:  "Never  since  the  world  was 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     189 

made  has  a  settlement  of  men  been  so  benefited  by  Chris- 
tian inlluence  as  has  the  Oregon  settlement."  The  facts 
given  in  these  pages  prove  the  correctness  of  this  state- 
ment. 

It  is  only  necessary  to  say  further,  in  regard  to  Mr. 
Lee's  report,  that  it  was  a  masterly  presentation  of  the 
condition  of  affairs  in  Oregon. 

He  showed  that  whatever  complaints  had  been  made 
about  his  administration  were  made  from  a  misappre- 
hension of  the  facts  involved. 

His  vindication  was  complete,  though  Dr.  George 
Gary,  of  the  Black  River  Conference,  had  been  appointed 
to  supersede  him.  Yet  Mr,  Lee  was  still  recognized  as 
missionary  to  Oregon. 

The  Board  was  satisfied  that  he  had  served  the  Church 
with  great  fidelity,  efficiency,  and  devotion,  and  in  the  un- 
folding light  of  intervening  years  it  is  easy  to  see  that  he 
not  only  did  his  work  wisely  and  well,  but  that  it  was 
pre-eminently  successful. 

The  removal  of  Jason  Lee  from  the  superintendency 
of  the  Oregon  Mission  is  the  one  act  of  the  officers  and 
managers  of  the  Missionary  Society,  in  connection  with 
the  work  of  the  Church  in  Oregon,  that  has  not  a  single 
redeeming  feature  in  it.  It  is  the  one  dead  fly  in  the  box 
of  ointment  that  emits  an  unsavory  odor.  It  is  a  cloud 
and  a  shadow,  as  dark  as  midnight,  upon  the  otherwise 
helpful  work  of  the  ^Missionary  Board  in  behalf  of  Ore- 
gon. 

To  have  taken  this  action  without  notice  to  Mr.  Lee, 
and  without  granting  him  a  hearing,  was  not  only  a 
strange  procedure,  but  it  was  a  colossal  injustice,  \\hich 
the  condition  of  afTairs  in  Oregon  did  not  justify,  and  for 
which  no  satisfactory  explanation  can  be  given. 

This  was  a  crushing  blow  to  Jason  Lee,  and,  in  coa- 


190  The  Conquerors 

nection  with  it,  came  the  long,  the  difficult,  and  the  dan- 
gerous journey  through  IMexico  that  he  felt  compelled  to 
make  by  land  and  sea,  along  a  pathway  flanked  with  per- 
ils of  which  he  knew  not,  and  beset  with  assassins,  in 
order  that  he  might  meet  with  the  Board,  in  New  York, 
at  the  earliest  date  possible. 

This  action  was  aggravated  by  the  fact  that  the  money 
used  to  establish  and  maintain  the  Oregon  Mission  Set- 
tlement was  raised  by  ]\Ir.  Lee  himself,  and  the  wonderful 
stimulation,  enthusiasm,  and  success  that  he  gave  to  the 
work  of  raising  missionary  money  throughout  the  United 
States  was  the  means  of  securing  not  only  all  the  funds 
needed  for  the  thorough  equipment  of  the  Oregon  Mis- 
sion, but  new  missions  were  started,  those  that  had  been 
established  were  strengthened,  and  the  raising  and  ex- 
penditure of  money  in  the  missionary  work  of  the  Church 
was  more  than  doubled,  trebled,  and  quadrupled  in  a  very 
short  time  by  the  great  tidal  wave  of  missionary  enthusi- 
asm that  was  sweeping  over  the  country. 

The  estimate  made  by  Mr.  H.  H.  Bancroft  (the  his- 
torian), that  $250,000  were  raised  by  Jason  Lee  for  mis- 
sionary purposes,  is  much  below  the  amount  that  came 
into  the  treasury  as  the  result  of  the  matchless  appeals 
of  this  pioneer  missionary.  ^ 

The  action  of  the  Board  was  also  aggravated  by  the 
fact  that  not  even  the  sliglitcst  intimation  was  made  of 
any  wrong  in  the  moral  character  or  conduct  of  Mr.  Lee, 
either  actual  or  implied — it  was  simply  a  difference  of 
judgment  in  the  management  of  the  mission. 

The  truth  is,  Mr.  Lee  was  right,  and  the  Board  and 

1  The  missionary  money  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is  distributed  by 
the  ofTicers  of  the  Missionary  Society,  and  is  placed  where  in  their  judgment  it  is 
needed  most,  except  in  cases  where  special  gifts  arc  made  and  received,  with  the 
understanding  that  the  wishes  of  the  donor  shall  determine  the  purposes  for  which 
and  the  places  where  it  shall  be  used. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Countrij     191 

those  who  had  made  these  representations  were  wrong, 
radically  wrong. 

This  fact  was  soon  thereafter  recognized  by  the 
Board,  and  they  would  gladly  have  changed  their  action, 
but  it  was  too  late. 

Another  fact :  It  is  strange,  but  true,  that  the  things 
a1)out  which  complaints  had  been  made  against  the  admin- 
istration of  Mv.  Lee,  and  upon  which  the  action  of  the 
Board  was  based,  was  the  vital  and  the  determining  ele- 
ment in  the  work  of  the  mission,  viz. :  The  management 
of  the  secular  department ;  upon  its  success  depended  the 
permanency  and  success  of  the  mission. 

Without  the  colonization  feature,  and  provision  for 
the  wants  of  the  colonists,  and  the  means  and  the  work 
that  would  secure  the  growth  and  the  permanency  of  the 
settlement,  upon  a  thoroughly  business-like  and  efficient 
basis,  the  mission  would  have  failed.  The  Indians  and 
the  work  done  among  them  would  have  died  together. 

The  claim  was  that  a  larger  amount  of  money  was  be- 
ing expended  than  was  necessary.  That  too  much  time 
and  attention  was  being  given  to  the  material  and  polit- 
ical phases  of  the  case,  and  that  the  large  expenditure 
of  funds  and  of  effort  in  this  direction  was  done  to  the 
injury  of  the  work  among  the  Indians.  In  his  report  to 
the  Board  Mr.  L,ee  said :  "This  apparently  large  expendi- 
ture was,  in  a  great  measure,  owing  to  the  immense  dis- 
tance, the  cost  of  transportation,  the  expense  of  the  out- 
fit, the  return  of  missionaries,  etc.  The  distance  between 
this  country  and  Oregon  is  the  great  vortex  that  has  swal- 
lowed up  over  $40,000  of  this  money." 

The  truth  is,  the  action  of  the  Board  in  the  displace- 
ment of  Jason  Lee  resulted  in  the  martyrdom  of  this  great 
and  good  man. 

The  truth  also  is,  that  it  was  the  judicious  expenditure 


192  The  Conquerors 

of  this  money  that  Americanized  and  saved  Oregon,  and 
but  for  which  it  is  quite  certain  that  this  Pacific  coast 
country  would  have  been  British  territory. 

To  keep  faith  with  the  United  States  Government  for 
its  grant  of  funds  to  assist  him  in  his  colonization  work 
and  fulfill  the  conditions  implied  in  the  grant. 

To  keep  faith  also  with  the  people  of  the  United 
States,  who,  upon  his  representations,  had  committed  to 
his  care  large  sums  of  money,  amounting  to  many  thou- 
sands of  dollars,  through  the  medium  of  the  Missionary 
Society,  to  be  used  by  him  in  founding  and  maintaining 
his  American  Mission  Settlement  in  Oregon. 

To  keep  faith  also  with  the  people  who,  because  of 
his  eloquent  descriptions  of  the  Oregon  country,  had  de- 
clared their  intention  to  emigrate  thither,  demanded  that 
he  should  look  carefully  after  the  material  and  the  civil 
interests  involved  in  the  management  of  his  mission  set- 
tlement, and  thus  open  the  way  for  the  coming  of  the 
large  numbers  of  settlers  whose  faces  he  had  turned  to- 
ward these  Pacific  shores. 

To  secure  a  large  amount  of  supplies  for  use  in  the 
colony. 

To  pay  the  cost  of  the  equipment,  maintenance,  and 
transportation  of  men,  women,  and  children,  and  pur- 
chase machinery  and  farming  utensils. 

To  erect  houses  and  mills,  and  open  farms,  and  do 
the  work  incident  to  the  establishment  and  enlargement 
of  the  settlement  required  a  large  outlay  of  money,  of 
time,  of  attention,  and  of  intelligent  effort. 

He  was  successful  because  he  had  the  funds  at  his 
command  with  which  to  go  forward,  and  the  energy,  the 
wisdom,  and  the  skill  to  use  them  to  the  best  advantage, 
and  improve  the  opportunity  that  God  had  opened  before 
him  for  the  accomplishment  of  His  great  work. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     193 

Dr.  H.  K.  Hines  says  of  the  plans  and  work  of  Jason 
Lee  in  the  secular  department  of  his  mission : 

The  arrangement  he  made  was  the  only  thing  that  rendered 
it  possible  for  the  American  people  to  fix  themselves  in  this 
country.  He  was  compelled  by  the  conditions  involved  to  secure 
the  establishment  of  the  business  necessary  for  their  own  pres- 
ervation. The  most  important  single  act  ever  performed  affect- 
ing the  future  of  American  history  on  the  Pacific  coast  was  the 
establishment  of  the  mission  on  this  basis  by  the  Missionary 
Board,  under  the  advice  and  management  of  Jason  Lee,  in 
1838-9. 

The  plans  of  Jason  Lee  to  conqtier  the  Pacific  coast 
for  Christ  and  form  the  nucleus  of  States  that  would,  in 
the  coming  years,  shine  as  stars  in  our  national  constella- 
tion, required  large  purposes,  large  expenditure  of 
means,  large  faith,  and  large  ability  to  grasp  and  meet 
the  demands  of  the  situation. 

We  may  learn  from  these  facts : 

1st.  That  good  men  may  act  hastily,  even  rashly,  and 
make  mistakes  of  a  very  serious  character,  mistakes  that, 
in  the  light  of  the  after  years,  may  seem  almost  criminal, 
as  was  the  case  with  the  Missionary  Board  in  their  treat- 
ment of  Jason  Lee. 

The  truth  also  is,  he,  first  and  above  any  man  of  that 
period,  seemed  to  have  grasped  the  demands  of  the  case, 
and  to  have  been  able  to  master  the  situation,  to  create 
conditions,  and  improve  and  control  them  in  the  interest 
of  Oregon,  of  the  Church  he  served,  and  of  the  Nation  he 
loved,  and,  having  done  this  with  exceptional  fidelity  and 
success,  to  have  been  misunderstood,  misrepresented,  and 
treated  so  unjustly  is  unaccountable.  Yet  it  is  unques- 
tionably true  that  the  men  composing  the  Board  were 
actuated  by  good  motives,  and  they  believed  they  were 
doing  right.     Their  vision  of  the  Oregon  mission  em- 

13 


194  The  Conquerors 

braced  the  Indian.  Jason  Lee's  vision  embraced  the  red 
man,  the  white  man,  and  the  yellow  man  beyond  the  sea. 

It  included  the  settlement,  the  material  development, 
the  control,  and  the  Christianization  of  Oregon  and  the 
Western  part  of  this  hemisphere,  reaching  to  the  islands 
that  are  set  as  jewels  in  the  bosom  of  the  Pacific  Ocean, 
and  the  evangelization  of  the  Oriental  countries  that  skirt 
the  far-off  shores  of  this  Western  sea. 

To  him  his  work  signified  putting  influences  in  motion 
that  would  be  world-wide;  the  benefits  of  which,  in  a 
commercial  and  religious  sense,  would  be  immeasurable 
and  live  through  the  ages. 

2d.  That  time  is  an  essential  element  in  bringing  out 
the  significance  of  events  and  in  revealing  the  true  char- 
acter of  men  who  participate  prominently  in  the  active 
affairs  of  life. 

This  truth  applies  with  tremendous  force  to  the  char- 
acter, life,  and  work  of  Rev.  Jason  Lee. 

His  heroism,  his  sterling  honesty,  his  manliness  and 
kindliness  of  spirit,  made  him  a  model  among  men.  His 
love  to  God  and  his  love  of  humanity  approached  the 
ideal  and  the  sublime. 

Of  the  life  and  work  of  Jason  Lee,  Dr.  H.  K.  Hines 
says : 

It  was  a  fact  hidden  behind  a  providential  veil  that,  as  the 
echo  of  the  departing  footsteps  of  the  Indians  along  the  forest 
trails  died  away,  the  ringing  tread  of  the  coming  people,  full 
of  all  that  is  mighty  in  mind,  and  vital  in  faith,  would  resound 
throughout  the  land.  Jason  Lee,  almost  alone  of  all  the  men 
about  him,  caught  the  gleam  of  the  banners  of  the  "Avaunt 
Couriers"  of  that  coming  host  on  the  Eastern  heights,  as  they 
began  to  descend  toward  the  Western  vales.  God  had  been  mak- 
ing His  preparations  in  tliese  changes,  sad  as  tlicy  were,  as  battles 
arc  sad,  but  glorious  in  their  outcome  to  religion  and  civilization, 
as  battles  are  glorious  when  they  bring  freedom  to  men.     .     .     . 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     195 

Nor  was  Leo  less  the  providential  leader  of  the  move- 
ment than  was  the  movement  itself  providential.  In  it  was  the 
force  of  a  Divine  Thrusting  On,  the  mighty,  though  silent, 
genesis  of  a  sure-coming  Kingdom  that  would  march  out  of  the 
old  times  and  old  traditions  by  companies  and  regiments  and 
armies,  following  the  lead  of  this  stalwart  leader  of  men,  this 
founder  of  civilizations. 

He  was  a  missionary,  it  is  true,  but  it  was  in  that  fact  that 
resided  his  power  to  accomplish  what  God  wanted  done  on  the 
Pacific  coast.  All  through  Africa,  China,  India,  America,  the 
missionary  is  the  pathfinder.  Merchants  follow,  then  govern- 
ments. Cecil  Rhodes  is  not  the  real  founder  of  Rhodesia.  It  is 
MoflFat  and  Livingstone.  Everywhere  the  blackened  trail  of  the 
missionary  becomes  the  highway  of  the  emigrant,  the  roadbed 
of  the  Pullman,  and  the  line  of  the  telegraph.  So  the  footprints 
of  Lee  were  the  guide  of  all  who  came  after  him  through  the 
weary  wastes  of  the  continent. 

Having  thus  pioneered  the  way,  Lee  and  his  company  gave 
those  original  impulses  to  the  life  of  Oregon  which  have  held 
that  life  through  all  the  history  of  the  commonwealth.  ...  A 
man  who  stands,  as  does  this  man,  at  the  beginning  of  a  State 
or  Nation,  and  is  the  molding  and  fashioning  influence  of  that 
beginning,  occupies  an  eminence  in  his  relation  to  that  State  to 
which  no  other  can  ever  attain. 

Jason  Lee's  work  can  never  die ;  its  influence  will  flow  on 
through  channels  measureless  by  men  forever. — "Missionary 
History  of  the  Pacific  Northwest." 

Jason  Lee  had  the  religious  zeal  of  an  apostle,  the 
courage  of  a  hero,  ths  faith  of  the  martyrs,  the  patriotism 
of  a  Washington,  and  the  poHtical  acumen  of  a  states- 
man. 

For  a  number  of  years  previous  to  his  appointment 
as  Superintendent  of  Missions  in  Oregon  his  mind  had 
been  deeply  impressed  with  the  conviction  that  his  duty 
and  life-work  were  among  the  Indians  of  the  West.  His 
intellectual  ability,  his  clearness  of  judgnieiit,  his  strength 
of  character,  his  energy,  his  physical  endurance,  his  piety, 
and  the  completeness  of  his  consecration  to  this  work 


196  The  Conquerors 

made  him  an  ideal  leader  in  a  movement  which  was  to 
revolutionize  the  conditions  that  had  for  centuries  pre- 
vailed on  the  Pacific  coast. 

Jason  Lee  possessed  a  kindly  nature,  a  genial  spirit, 
a  big,  warm  heart,  and  a  greatness  of  character  that  made 
him  peer  of  the  greatest  and  best  men  in  the  world. 

His  name  is  written  first  and  highest  upon  the  roll  of 
honor  that  records  the  birth  of  the  commonwealths  of 
the  Northwest.  Through  his  efforts,  his  sacrifices,  and 
his  statesman-like  leadership,  together  with  the  work  of 
his  compeers  and  the  helpful  co-operation  of  the  settlers 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  mission  settlement  in  the  Willamette 
Valley,  these  Pacific  Coast  States  shine  with  resplendent 
luster  upon  our  Nation's  flag. 

After  Mr.  Lee's  visit  and  work  at  Washington  and 
with  the  Missionary  Board  in  New  York,  in  June  and 
July,  1844,  he  visited  Wilbraham,  Mass.,  and  a  few  other 
points.  Soon  thereafter  he  took  a  severe  cold,  from 
which  he  never  rallied.  On  the  i8th  day  of  February, 
1845,  he  wrote  to  Rev.  Gustavus  Hines  as  follows : 

I  think  I  mentioned  in  my  last  letter  that  I  was  afflicted  with 
a  cold.  No  remedial  aid  I  could  procure  has  been  able  to  remove 
it,  and  unless  some  favorable  change  occurs  soon  it  is  my  delib- 
erate conviction  that  it  will  prove  fatal.  Should  a  favorable 
change  take  place  I  may  advise  you  to  be  looking  out  for  me 
coming  around  Cape  Horn,  or  threading  my  way  up  the  Wil- 
lamette in  a  canoe,  as  I  used  to  do.     .     .     . 

I  remain  your  affectionate  friend  and  brother, 

Jason  Lee. 

Tlis  life  was  so  thoroughly  interwoven  with  the  life 
and  history  of  Oregon  that  his  crowning  reflections 
were  in  her  behalf. 

Pie  died  March  12,  1845,  i"  Stanstead,  the  town  in 
which  he  was  born. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     197 

Thus,  in  manhood's  middle  day 

He  laid  his  armor  down, 
And  exchanged  his  earthly  state 

For  an  immortal  crown. 
His  sunset  hour,  having  come  at  noon, 
Made  the  period  quite  too  soon 
For  him  the  fruitage  of  his  toil  to  see. 
Yet,  he  lived  long  enough  to  be 
A  benefactor  of  his  race 
And  occupy  an  honored  place 
Among  the  heroes  of  the  world. 

Reinterment  oe  the  Remains  op  Jason  Lee. 

In  1904  Mrs.  Smith  French,  of  The  Dalles,  Oregon, 
had  some  correspondence  with  Colonel  Frederick  D.  But- 
terfield,  of  Derby  Line,  Vt.,  suggesting  the  desirability  of 
removing  the  remains  of  Jason  Lee  froin  Stanstead,  Can- 
ada, to  the  Lee  Mission  Cemetery  at  Salem,  Ore, 

This  resulted  in  an  offer  by  Colonel  Butterfield  to 
superintend  and  bear  the  expense  of  disinterring  and  ship- 
ping them,  with  the  tombstone,  to  Portland,  Ore. 

They  were  consigned  to  Prof.  F.  H.  Grubbs,  son-in- 
law  of  Jason  Lee,  and  were  placed  in  the  safety  vault  of 
the  Title  Guarantee  and  Trust  Company,  Chamber  of 
Commerce  Building,  Portland.  The  time  chosen  for  re- 
interment was  June  15,  1906,  in  connection  with  the  sixty- 
second  annual  commencement  of  the  Willamette  Uni- 
versity. On  this  date  persons  from  different  parts  of 
Oregon,  Washington,  Idaho,  and  Montana  assembled  at 
the  Methodist  Churcli  in  Salem. 

Outline  of  the  Services. 

Friday  Morning,  10  o'clock — In  the  absence  of  Dr.  D. 
L.  Rader,  editor  of  the  Pacific  Christian  Advocate,  Rev. 
W.  S.  Turner,  of  Spokane,  presided. 


198  The  Conquerors 

Rev.  W,  H.  Selleck,  pastor  of  the  First  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  Salem,  read  the  Fifty-second  Chapter 
of  Isaiah  and  the  Third  Chapter  of  First  Corinthians. 
Rev.  P.  S.  Knight,  of  the  Congregational  Church  of 
Salem,  offered  prayer.  Addresses  were  delivered  by 
Hon.  W.  D.  Fenton,  President  of  the  Oregon  Historical 
Society,  and  Rev.  J.  R.  Wilson,  D.  D.,  President  of  the 
Portland  Academy. 

A  solo  was  sung  by  Mrs.  A.  ]\I.  Smith,  of  Portland. 
This  service  was  under  the  auspices  of  the  Church. 

Afternoon,  i  o'clock — Hon.  J.  C.  Moreland  presided. 
Rev.  A.  J.  Joslyn  offered  prayer. 

Addresses  were  made  by  Judge  Moreland,  the  Chair- 
man; by  Hon.  H.  W.  Scott,  editor  of  the  Orcgonian, 
and  Hon.  R.  P.  Boise,  of  Salem.  This  service  was  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Oregon  Pioneer  Association. 

At  the  close  of  Judge  Boise's  address,  Rev.  Dr.  A.  N. 
P'isher  read  passages  from  the  burial  service.  The  hon- 
orary pallbearers,  Revs.  I.  D.  Driver,  Robert  Booth,  John 
Flinn,  T.  F.  Royal,  J.  H.  B.  Royal,  Nelson  Clark,  A.  J. 
Joslyn,  A.  Atwood,  M.  S.  Anderson,  W.  J.  White,  W.  S. 
Turner,  W.  W.  VanDusen,  J.  D.  Gillilan,  T.  L.  Jones,  and 
A.  Fades,  formed  in  line  behind  him.  The  active  pall- 
bearers were  ex-Governors  Geer  and  Moody,  Hon. 
George  H.  Himes,  Judge  J.  C.  Moreland,  J.  H.  Albert, 
and  Geo.  P.  Litchfield. 

The  services  at  the  grave  were  in  charge  of  Dr.  J.  H. 
Coleman,  President  of  Willamette  University.  Brief  and 
impromptu  addresses  were  made  by  Rev.  W.  R.  Bishop, 
of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church,  and  others.  This 
service  was  one  of  unusual  solemnity  and  interest. 

Evening,  8  o'clock — Rev.  John  Flinn  presided.  Rev. 
Mr.  McDougal,  of  Albany,  offered  prayer.  Addresses 
were  made  by  Judge  T.  G.  Hailcy,  who  represented  Gov- 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Counirij     199 

ernor  Chamberlain  of  Oregon ;  by  Hon.  Allen  Weir, 
formerly  Secretary  of  State,  who  represented  Governor 
Mead  of  the  State  of  Washington,  and  by  Lieutenant- 
Governor  B.  L.  Steeves  of  Idaho. 

Judge  Hailey  spoke  of  the  Indians  in  whose  behalf 
the  missions  of  Jason  Lee  were  established  in  Oregon, 

Hon,  Allen  Weir  spoke  of  the  purity  and  greatness  of 
the  character  of  Jason  Lee,  and  of  the  success  of  his 
work  in  establishing  American  institutions  in  Oregon, 

Hon.  Mr.  Steeves  spoke  of  the  extent,  the  amazing 
fertility,  and  the  richness  of  the  Oregon  country,  saved  to 
the  United  States  by  the  work  of  Jason  Lee. 

Rev.  Myron  Eclls  spoke  briefly  of  the  pioneer  mission- 
aries and  of  the  fraternal  spirit  that  prevailed  among 
them.  A  solo  was  sung  by  Mrs.  Charles  H,  Hinges, 
which  was  received  with  great  favor. 

This  service  was  under  the  auspices  of  the  States  that 
formed  the  original  Oregon  country. 

Committee  op  Arrangements. 

John  H.  Coleman,  D.  D.,  Chairman ;  Professor  Fran- 
cis H.  Grubbs,  Secretary ;  Robert  A.  Booth,  A,  M,  Smith. 
Walton  Shipworth,  and  Mrs.  Smith  French. 

We  give  herewith  brief  extracts  from  the  addresses 
made  on  this  remarkable  occasion. 

Hon.  W.  D.  Fenton  said,  in  part: 

The  history  of  Jason  Lcc  and  his  contemporaries  is  a  nar- 
rative of  the  great  struggle  of  American  citizens  for  the  pos- 
session and  the  retention  of  the  Oregon  country.  Before  that 
time  this  section  was  under  the  practical  control  of  Great 
Britain.  .  .  .  Pie  had  the  ability  to  impress  upon  the  Wil- 
lamette Valley  a  character  for  religious  and  literary  aspirations 
that  have  remained  unto  this  day.  He  suggested  the  manner 
in  which  Congress  could  promote  American  emigration. 

It  is  a  matter  of  history  that  Jason  Lee  was  the  unseen 


200  The  Conquerors 

hand  behind  the  first  active  effort  at  Washington,  and  he  was 
regarded  as  a  special  non-commissioned  representative  of  the 
Government  of  the  United  States.    .    .    . 

His  Hfe  illustrates  the  truth  of  the  statement  that  to  achieve 
success  there  must  be  a  single  purpose,  and  energies  can  not  be 
wasted  or  dissipated  in  attempting  to  do  well  more  than  one 
thing.  ,  .  .  There  is  always  room  for  a  man  of  force,  and 
he  makes  room  for  many.  ...  A  feeble  man  can  see  the 
farms  that  are  fenced  and  tilled,  and  the  houses  that  are  built. 
The  strong  man  sees  the  possible  houses  and  farms.  He  makes 
estates  a  fact.  Jason  Lee,  with  the  eye  of  a  prophet  in  1834,  saw 
the  great  commonwealth  of  1906.  He  saw  the  march  and  power 
of  empire,  and  that  the  flag  of  his  country  would,  in  less  than  a 
century,  wave  from  Panama  to  the  Behring  Sea.  The  Republic 
was  to  reach  the  zenith  of  its  power  on  these  shores.  His  work 
is  done,  the  record  of  his  life  has  been  written.  Wc  can  not  add 
to  or  take  from  that  record,  and  the  simple  ceremonies  attend- 
ing this  hour  but  feebly  record  the  final  chapter  in  the  life  of 
the  great  Methodist  missionary,  educator,  pioneer,  and  statesman. 

Rev.  Dr.  J.  R.  Wilson  said : 

The  intent  at  the  beginning  was  to  keep  the  country  wild  and 
imknown,  in  the  interest  of  the  fur  hunters.  .  .  .  Jason  Lee's 
entrance  upon  Oregon  soil  marked  the  opening  of  a  new  pur- 
pose. He  came  to  enlighten  and  help  the  people,  rather  than  to 
exploit  their  country.  He  regretted  to  see  the  Indians  waste 
away  and  disappear,  but,  as  the  white  man  began  to  come  in  large 
numbers,  he  recognized  the  change  that  had  come  in  his  mission 
to  Oregon.  His  work  changed,  but  his  purpose  to  serve  his 
fellow-men  was  not  changed.    .    .    . 

From  this  time  we  find  him  laboring  for  the  education  of 
the  white  people,  whom  he  saw  would  soon  occupy  this  favored 
land.  What  he  saw  so  clearly  was  not  so  clear  to  the  Mission 
Board,  and  putting  himself  right  with  the  Church  was  his  last 
earthly  effort,  and  in  this  he  succeeded  at  the  sacrifice  of  his 
life.    .    .    . 

His  work  was  great  enough  to  satisfy  the  largest  ambition. 
.  .  .  The  ceremony  of  this  day  is  but  a  late  and  worthy 
answer  to  his  wish  as  expressed  in  his  last  prayer  for  the  home 
of  his  adoption.  Oregon  holds  the  ashes  of  none  more  worthy 
of  lasting  and  grateful  rcmcnibrancc  tlian  of  him  whom  we  shall 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     201 

this  day  commit  to  the  sacred  precincts  of  her  soil  in  Lee  Mis- 
sion Cemetery. 

Judge  Moreland  said: 

In  accordance  with  the  directions  of  the  Oregon  Pioneer 
Society,  we  have  met  here  in  the  city  he  founded  to  pay  tribute 
to  Oregon's  first  and  greatest  American  pioneer,  Jason  Lee.  He 
came  as  a  missionary  to  the  Indians.  He  saw  the  possibiHties,  the 
vast  resources,  and  the  great  value  of  this  country.  .  .  .  He  was 
a  strong  patriot  and  was  ardently  attached  to  the  country  under 
the  flag  of  which  he  was  born,  and  in  the  defense  of  which  his 
father  had  fought  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution. 

He  saw  that  the  final  settlement  of  the  ownership  of  Oregon 
would  be  determined  by  the  citizenship  of  its  settlers.     .     .     . 

The  work  he  did  to  colonize  the  country  proved  to  be  of  in- 
calculable value.     .     .     . 

Jason  Lee  was  a  remarkable  man.  He  possessed  great  de- 
termination and  wonderful  foresight.  Like  other  great  bene- 
factors of  his  race,  he  was  not  understood  in  his  time.  His 
Church,  through  ignorance  of  the  situation,  dismissed  him  from 
the  control  of  its  affairs  most  unjustly  and  cruelly.  .  .  .  The 
hour  of  his  vindication  has  come.  The  Church  has  acknowledged 
its  mistake.    .    .    . 

His  bones  will  be  laid  away  in  Lee  Mission  Cemetery,  the 
place  he  selected  seventy  years  ago,  and  all  the  people  in  this 
great  Oregon  country  will  honor  his  memory. 

Hon.  H.  W.  Scott  said : 

That  faith  which  foresees  and  believes  and  is  the  substance 
of  all  things  was  the  inspiration  of  the  Oregon  missions,  and 
the  creative  power  in  the  growth  of  the  great  States  of  the 
Pacific  Northwest.  .  .  .  Attempts  to  establish  an  American 
settlement  in  Oregon  were  made  prior  to  the  coming  of  Jason 
Lee,  but  they  were  failures.  I  need  not  speak  of  Astor's  unsuc- 
cessful undertaking,  nor  of  the  failure  of  succeeding  adventurers, 
Wyeth  and  Bonneville,  whose  enterprises  were  those  of  traders; 
nor  of  the  attempted  colonization  by  Hall  J.  Kelley,  which  ended 
even  more  disastrously. 

It  was  not  until  the  American  missionaries  entered  and  pos- 
sessed the  country  that  a  foothold  was  gained  for  the  occupation 
of  Oregon  by  American  settlers.    ...    As  settlers  and  coloniz- 


202  TJie  Conquerors 

ers  our  missionaries  became  the  chief  force  that  Americanized 
Oregon. 

Of  Jason  Lee,  Mr.  Scott  says: 

He  induced  the  Government  of  the  United  States  to  aid  in 
the  colonization  and  support  of  the  country.  .  .  .  His  mis- 
sion was  the  first  low  wash  of  the  waves  where  now  rolls  this 
great  human  sea,  to  increase  in  power,  we  believe,  throughout  all 
ages.    .    .    . 

After  the  Restoration  in  England,  John  Milton  was  over- 
looked and  forgotten.  His  obscurity  secured  him  immunity  from 
persecution,  and  he  died  unnoticed.  But  so  great  is  he  now  that 
the  kings  and  princes  and  nobles  of  his  time  walk  about  under 
his  shadow.  The  very  age  that  neglected  him  is  now  known  as 
"The  Age  of  Milton,"  and  receives  its  luster  from  his  name. 

It  is  difficult  for  any  generation  to  estimate  rightly  its  con- 
temporary men  and  women  of  real  worth.  The  judgment  is 
with  the  future  time.  We  get  no  proper  sense  of  the  majesty 
of  our  mountain  peaks  when  near  them.  We  must  draw  back  a 
little  if  we  would  take  in  their  full  grandeur. 

With  this  view  the  work  of  our  missionaries  in  Oregon  rises 
in  proportions  more  and  yet  more  majestic,  and  in  this  no  name 
stands  or  will  stand  above  that  of  Jason  Lee.  .  .  .  Not  long 
remembered  would  Jason  Lee  have  been — we  may  suppose — but 
for  the  opportunity  that  sent  him  to  Oregon.  With  all  men  of 
action  it  is  so.  But  for  his  opportunity  given  by  the  Civil  War, 
General  Grant  would  have  no  name.  How  slight  the  original 
incidents  that  linked  the  name  of  Jason  Lee  inseparable  with  the 
history  of  Oregon.  .  .  .  The  Protestant  missions  were  the 
main  instruments  that  peopled  Oregon  with  Americans.  They 
established  the  sovereignty  of  the  United  States  in  the  Pacific 
Northwest.    .    .    . 

Into  this  competition  our  missionary  people  were  plunged; 
indeed,  they  led  the  way  in  it,  and  to  their  efforts  was  due  the 
agitation  that  led  to  the  increase  of  American  emigration  from 
the  States,  which  gave  our  people  the  ascendency.  .  .  .  That 
there  were  no  collisions  of  a  serious  character  between  the 
representatives  of  the  different  countries  was  due  to  the  exercise 
of  good  common  sense  on  both  sides,  to  mutual  forbearance  and 
to  a  common  language  and  kinship.     .     .    . 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     203 

The  kindness  of  Dr.  McLoughlin  to  the  missionaries  is  a 
possession  that  will  be  cherished  by  our  people  forever. 

Hon.  H.  K.  Boise  said: 

In  1S35  Nathaniel  J.  Wycth  was  obliged  to  sell  all  his  inter- 
ests in  the  country  to  that  powerful  corporation,  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company.  When  Wyeth  left  this  whole  region  fell  under 
British  influence  and  dominion,  but  Jason  Lee,  the  missionary, 
remained.  .  .  .  From  him  and  his  associates  emanated  moral 
and  educational  influences  that  illumined  the  darkness,  that  over- 
shadowed this  almost  barbarous  region. 

The  country  was  in  possession  of  the  Indian  tribes,  and  was 
the  hunting  preserve  of  the  great  company,  which  every  year 
sent  out  its  trappers  and  gathered  in  a  rich  harvest  of  furs  and 
built  up  the  enormous  wealth  of  the  gigantic  monopoly,  which 
seemed  destined  to  control  the  sovereignty  of  the  country  west 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  North  of  California. 

The  missionaries  were  the  messengers  of  civilization;  they 
spied  out  the  land,  opened  highways  for  the  emigrants,  and  gave 
to  the  people  of  the  Eastern  States  accurate  information  of  the 
value  of  the  country,  the  richness  of  its  soil,  the  healthfulness  of 
its  climate,  and  its  unsurpassed  scenic  grandeur, 

Mr.  Lee  built  mills  to  supply  food  and  lumber.  He  estab- 
lished schools  and  homes.  He  made  provision  to  bring  cattle 
from  California.  He  was  a  man  of  broad  and  comprehensive 
ideas,  and  spent  his  short,  earnest,  and  most  useful  life  in  laying 
the  foundations  of  this  commonwealth.  .  .  .  And  now,  when 
the  members  of  the  Church  he  founded  have  returned  his  re- 
mains to  this  scene  of  his  active  life,  we,  with  reverent  hands, 
commit  his  ashes  to  final  sepulcher  beneath  the  green  sod  of 
Oregon,  in  the  beautiful  cemetery  that  bears  his  name. 

Hon.  Allen  Weir  said : 

We  honor  the  memory  of  Jason  Lee  because  of  his  noble, 
pure,  and  consecrated  life.  No  mausoleum  erected  here  to  mark 
his  resting-place  could  be  too  elegant  or  costly  to  properly  express 
the  love  and  appreciation  of  the  people  for  him,  and  for  the 
work  he  wrought.  .  .  .  The  everlasting  snows,  on  Mount 
Hood  are  not  purer  or  fairer  than  the  unsullied  personal  char- 
acter he  left  behind.  .  .  .  The  civilization  of  which  he  was 
the  forerunner  and  founder  swept  across  the  continent,  subduing 


204  The  Conquerors 

the  savage  races,  overcoming  obstacles,  and  changing  conditions; 
and  now,  at  the  dawn  of  the  twentieth  century,  it  has  passed 
all  former  boundaries  and  has  crossed  the  ocean  to  the  Philip- 
pines, Hawaii,  and  other  islands  of  the  sea. 

Prof.  J.  T.  Matthews,  of  the  Willamette  University, 
says  of  these  memorial  services  in  the  Pacific  Christian 
Advocate  of  June  27,  1906 :  "What  a  day !  The  scenes  in 
the  church,  and  especially  those  at  the  grave,  have  not, 
in  some  respects,  been  paralleled  in  history." 

The  slab  placed  at  the  head  of  the  grave  of  Mr.  Lee 
soon  after  his  death  is  of  white  Vermont  marble,  is  five 
feet  six  inches  in  length,  two  feet  six  inches  wide,  and  is 
two  and  a  quarter  inches  thick.  It  was  brought  across 
the  continent  with  the  remains,  and  will  mark  his  last 
resting-place  in  this  the  land  of  his  adoption.  The  stone 
bears  the  inscription  as  given  on  the  opposite  page. 

The  life  and  work  of  Rev.  Jason  Lee  in  behalf  of 
Oregon  was  romantic,  unique,  eventful,  and  wonderfully 
successful.  His  coming  lifted  the  curtains  of  night  from 
these  pagan  solitudes  and  transformed  them  into  human 
habitations  where  peace  and  plenty  and  comfort  abide. 
The  trail  of  light  that  marked  his  pathway  and  shone 
out  from  the  cabin  homes  of  the  missionaries  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  people  and  brought  multitudes  of 
home  builders  to  these  Pacific  shores. 

His  pre-eminent  service  to  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment, to  the  American  people,  to  Oregon,  to  the  cause 
of  humanity,  to  IVIethodism,  and  to  the  missionary  move- 
ments of  that  period,  not  only  challenges  admiration, 
but  it  demands  recognition  of  a  substantial  sort  that 
will  appropriately  honor  and  perpetuate  the  name  and 
the  deeds  of  the  pioneer  missionary  and  the  founder  of 
American  institutions  on  the  western  shores  of  North 
America. 


SACRED 

To  the  Memory  of  the 

REV.  JASON  LEE. 

an  itinerant  minister  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
member  of  the  New   England  Conference, 
and  the  first  Missionary  to  the  Indians 
beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

He  was  born 
in  Stansted,  L.  C,  June  27,   1803. 

Converted 
in  1826  under  the  laI)ors  of  the  Wcslcyan 
Missionaries^  Mr.  Pope  and  Turner,  and  commenced 
his  ministry  in  1832  among  the  Weslcyan  Methodists, 
preaching  in  Stansted  and  the  adjoining  towns 
till  1833,  when  he  was  called  to  engage  in  the 

Oregon  Mission. 
To  this 

Godlike   Enterprise 
he  devoted  all  his  talents,   in  labors  abundant 
he  laid  all  on  the  missionary  altar,  counting  not 
his  life  dear  that  the  Red-men  might  be  saved. 

In  this  work 
he  crossed  the  Rocky  Mountains  first  in  1834, 

and  again  in  1838. 
July  i6th,  1837,  he  married  Anna  Maria  Pitman 
of  New  York,  who  died  in  Oregon  June  26th,  1838. 
His  second  wife  Lucy   (Thompson)    of   Barre,  Vt., 

died  in  Oregon,  March,  1842. 
He  sustained  these  painful  bereavements  with 
great  Christian  fortitude  and  submission. 

In  Alay,   1844, 
he  returned  a  second  time  to  the  United  States, 
and  in  August  impaired  health  compelled 
him  to  desist  from  his  labors  and  lind  an 
asylum  among  kind  relatives  in  his  native  town 
where  he  died  in  peace 

March  12.  1845, 
aged 
41  yearSj  3  months,  and  18  days, 

Job  XIV.,  14 
"If  a  man  die  shall  he  live  again?    All  the  days  of 
my  appointed  time  will  I  wait  till  my  change  come." 

Job  XIX.,  25 
"I  know  that  my  Redeemer  livcth,  and  that  He 
shall  stand  in  the  latter  day  upon  the  earth." 

Job  XIV.,  15 
"Thou  shalt  call  and  I  will  answer;  Thou  wilt 
have  a  desire  to  the  work  of  Thy  hands." 


205 


206  The  Conquerors 

He  Was  Not  a  Canadian. 

1st.  It  has  been  claimed  that  Jason  Lee  was  a  Cana- 
dian. The  following  statement  of  facts  show  him  to 
have  been  not  only  of  American  lineage,  but  to  have  had 
an  American  birth. 

John  Lee  came  to  America  from  England  when  he 
was  thirteen  years  of  age,  with  the  family  of  William 
Westwood. 

They  were  fleeing  from  the  persecutions  of  their 
native  land,  and  were  among  the  first  fifty- four  settlers 
to  occupy  the  region  where  the  city  of  Cambridge  now 
stands,  on  Massachusetts  Bay. 

In  1635  this  family,  with  others,  under  the  leadership 
of  Rev.  Thomas  Hooker,  removed  to  Connecticut  and 
were  the  founders  of  the  city  of  Hartford.  Soon  after 
he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  John  Lee  joined  with 
eighty-four  others  and  purchased  two  hundred  and 
twenty-five  square  miles  of  land  in  the  Connecticut  Val- 
ley of  the  Indians,  now  occupied  by  the  towns  of  Farm- 
ington,  Southington,  Bristol,  Burlington,  New  Britain, 
Berlin,  and  Kensington. 

The  old  chart  is  still  in  existence  that  shows  the 
boundary  lines  of  land  of  John  Lee. 

A  number  of  the  descendants  of  John  Lee  served 
their  country  in  several  Indian  wars  of  those  early  days. 
The  records  of  the  Revolutionary  War  contained  seven- 
teen names  of  descendants  of  John  Lee  who  participated 
in  the  struggle  for  American  independence.  Colonel 
Noah  Lee  raised  a  regiment  of  Green  Mountain  boys 
and  led  them  in  the  battles  of  Brandywine,  Trenton, 
Gcrmantown,  Monmouth,  and  Yorktown.  He  and  his 
command  participated  in  the  ceremonies  incident  to  the 
surrender  of  General  Cornwallis.    Captain  Nathan  Hale, 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     207 

General  Washington's  trusted  officer  (the  martyr  spy), 
executed  in  New  York  by  order  of  General  Howe.  Rev. 
Edward  Everett  Hale,  of  Boston.  Rev.  William  Allen 
Lee,  at  one  time  president  of  Dartmouth  College  and 
subsequently  president  of  Bowdoin.  General  Kirby 
Smith,  of  the  Confederate  Army,  and  Hon.  Thaddeus 
Stevens,  a  prominent  member  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives at  Washington,  from  Penn.  Rev.  Lewis  O. 
Lee,  president  of  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Marash, 
Turkey,  under  the  auspices  of  the  American  Board  of 
Foreign  IMissions ;  Judge  William  Strong,  associate  jus- 
tice of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States — these 
were  descendants  of  John  Lee  and  his  youngest  daugh- 
ter, Tabitha  Lee.  David  Lee,  son  of  John  Lee,  was 
born  in  Farmington,  Connecticut,  in  1674.  Jedidiah  Lee 
was  born  in  Northampton,  Massachusetts,  February  i, 
1697.  Elias  Lee  was  born  in  Northampton,  Massachu- 
setts, July  26,  1723.  Daniel  Lee  was  born  in  Willington, 
Connecticut,  January  20,  1753. 

Jason  Lee,  the  pioneer  and  founder  of  Methodism 
and  of  American  institutions  in  Oregon,  was  born  in 
Stanstead,  June  2y,  1803.  At  that  time  this  section  of 
country  was  believed  to  belong  to  the  United  States. 

Daniel  Lee,  Jason  Lee's  father,  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Lexington,  White  Plains,  Long  Island,  and 
other  engagements  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  He  was 
a  pensioner  under  the  act  of  1818. 

About  the  year  1796  there  was  a  large  emigration  to 
the   northern   part  of   Vermont  and   New   Hampshire. 

Among  the  earliest  of  these  settlers  was  Daniel  Lee. 

The  boundary  line  had  not  been  established.  The 
monuments  that  mark  the  boundary  bear  date  of  1842. 

Mr.  Lee  and  others,  when  they  made  settlement,  en- 
tertained  no   doubt   but  that   their   lands   were   in   the 


208  The  Conquerors 

United  States.  They  were  greatly  disappointed  when, 
nearly  half  century  thereafter,  and  the  boundary  was  set- 
tled, to  find  themselves  in  Canada. 

Daniel  Lee's  house  stood  about  a  stone's  throw  north 
of  the  line.  A  part  of  his  land  was  in  the  United 
States  and  the  other  part  in  Canada. 

The  fact  that  he  was  a  pensioner  of  the  Government 
and  paid  taxes  to  it  is  proof  that  he  was  recognized  as 
a  citizen  of  the  United  States. 

Under  these  circumstances  Jason  Lee  was  born,  in 
1803,  six  years  after  his  father  had  settled  in  this  un- 
broken wilderness.  In  1828  he  left  home  to  attend  school 
at  Wilbraham,  Massachusetts ;  fourteen  years  before  the 
fixing  of  the  boundary  line. 

He  was  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  and  no  man 
ever  served  his  country  or  his  Church  with  greater 
fidelity  and  efficiency. 

2d.  It  has  been  claimed  that  Jason  Lee's  stay  on  the 
Pacific  coast  was  short,  and  that  he  could  not,  for  this 
reason,  efifect  great  things  in  behalf  of  Oregon. 

From  the  time  of  the  appointment  of  Rev.  Jason  Lee 
to  the  superintendency  of  the  Missions  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  Oregon,  in  1833,  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  in  1845,  his  life,  his  time,  his  intellectual  ability, 
his  physical  strength,  and  all  there  was  of  him,  was 
actively  and  thoroughly  consecrated  to  the  work  of  God, 
to  his  country,  and  his  countrymen,  as  represented  in  his 
mission  work  in  Oregon. 

The  facts  in  the  case  show  that  the  settlement  he 
established  and  the  work  he  wrought  in  connection  there- 
with was  the  means  of  foreclosing  the  claim  of  the 
United  vStates  to  the  southern  half  of  the  Oregon  country 
and  taking  actual  i)ossession  and  control  of  it. 

riis  efforts  made  the  Oregon  Mission  in  its  Ameri- 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Counlr//     20'J 

canizing  aspects  and  effects  one  of  the  most  successful 
missionary  enterprises  that  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  ever  inaugurated. 

The  potential  character  of  Mr.  Lee's  work  in  its 
relation  to  Oregon  is  evident  in  the  fact  that,  intimately 
associated  with  it  and  as  the  outgrowth  and  result  of  it, 
the  American  view  of  the  case  was  so  enlarged  and  the 
whole  question  came  to  assume  such  a  tangible  and  vigor- 
ous form  that,  simultaneous  with  these  aggressive  move- 
ments in  behalf  of  Oregon,  there  came  a  demand  from  the 
people  throughout  the  country  that  the  claim  of  the 
United  States  to  Oregon  must  be  upheld,  and  maintained, 
and  carried  to  a  successful  conclusion  from  the  Ameri- 
can viewpoint. 

The  work  of  Jason  Lee  was  in  two  parts.  The  base 
of  one  field  of  his  operations  was  on  the  Atlantic  side 
of  the  continent,  the  other  on  the  Pacific  side;  and  in 
no  piece  of  machinery  that  human  hands  ever  produced 
did  the  parts  work  together  more  admirably  and  effect- 
ively for  the  accomplishment  of  the  purposes  of  its  ex- 
istence than  they  did  in  this. 

By  his  efforts  on  the  Atlantic  side  of  the  continent 
the  work  on  the  Pacific  side  was  made  possible  and  was 
supplied  with  the  facilities  necessary  to  its  growth  and 
permanent  existence. 

The  prayers,  the  sympathies,  and  the  active  support 
of  tens  of  thousands  of  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  throughout  the  country  were  with  him 
in  his  efforts  to  do  good  among  the  Indians  and  lay  the 
foundations  of  American  life  on  these  Pacific  shores. 

Had  Jason  Lee  never  appeared  upon  the  scene,  had 
he  never  traveled  over  the  country  and  electrified  the 
people  with  his  missionary  appeals  and  his  eloquent  tle- 
scriptions  of  Oregon,  had  he  never  established  his  Amer- 

14 


210  The  Conquerors 

ican  missionary  colony  on  this  coast,  had  the  missions 
of  the  ]\Iethodist  Episcopal  Church  never  been  planted 
in  Oregon,  it  is  possible  that  the  great  work  done  by 
him  would  have  been  effected  through  some  other  instru- 
mentality. In  view,  however,  of  the  complex  conditions 
involved,  and  the  claim  of  England,  whose  treaty  rights 
in  the  joint  occupancy  of  the  country  were  equal  to  those 
of  the  United  States ;  the  fact  that  her  representatives 
were  on  the  ground  in  large  numbers ;  the  fact,  too,  that 
they  had  abundant  financial  strength  to  maintain  their 
entrenched  position,  and  were  in  tentative  possession  of 
the  trade  of  the  country,  and  of  the  country  itself;  in 
view  of  these  and  other  facts  of  a  kindred  nature,  it  is 
extremely  doubtful,  had  not  Jason  Lee  inaugurated  a 
counter  movement  for  the  possession  of  Oregon  by  es- 
tablishing an  American  missionary  colony,  a  colony 
strong  enough  numerically  and  financially  to  assume  and 
maintain  control  of  the  country  by  establishing  a  pro- 
visional government  and  arousing  the  attention  of  the 
people  of  the  United  States  to  existing  conditions,  or,  had 
the  work  of  Jason  Lee  been  deferred  a  few  years  later, 
it  is  doubtful  if  the  effort  to  establish  American  su- 
premacy in  Oregon  would  have  been  successful  without 
the  arbitrament  of  war. 

The  establishment  of  the  provisional  government, 
July  5,  1843,  was  the  crowning  feature  in  the  American 
campaign  for  the  possession  of  Oregon. 

3d.  It  has  been  claimed  that  Oregon  became  an 
American  Commonwealth,  not  so  much  because  of  work 
done  in  her  behalf  by  Jason  Lee,  but  rather  as  the  result 
of  priority  of  discovery,  the  general  trend  of  events, 
the  work  of  American  trappers  and  traders,  notably  Cap- 
tain Wyeth,  Joseph  Meek,  Captain  McKay,  Mr.  Robert 
Shortess  and  others,  it  is  claimed,  did  heroic  work  in 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Coiintr/j     211 

behalf  of  Oregon;  that  the  missions,  the  missionaries, 
and  their  work  were  mere  incidents  in  the  unfolding 
events  that  made  Oregon  American. 

That  this  view  is  incorrect  and  does  violence  to  the 
facts  in  the  case  and  is  a  colossal  injustice  to  the  chief 
actors  in  this  great  drama,  will  appear  from  a  careful 
examination  of  the  conditions  that  prevailed  in  the 
country  at  that  time  and  the  causes  that  produced  a 
change  in  them. 

The  facts,  so  far  as  they  relate  to  the  discoveries 
made  by  the  United  States  and  England  and  Spain,  upon 
which  were  based  their  claim  to  Oregon,  and  the  con- 
ditions that  prevailed  in  the  country  at  that  time,  are 
as  follows : 

Facts  About  tiik   Spanish   Claim   to  thr  Oregon 
Country. 

Juan  dc  Fuca,  a  Greek  navigator,  discovered  the 
straits  that  bear  his  name  in  1592. 

In  1774  Juan  Parez,  a  Spanish  explorer,  visited  these 
waters  and  sailed  as  far  north  as  Queen  Charlotte  Sound. 

In  177s  Heceta,  a  Spanish  navigator,  cruised  along 
the  coast  of  the  Oregon  country,  and  on  July  14th  of 
that  year  sent  six  men  ashore  in  latitude  47,  degree  48. 

On  the  31st  of  May,  1791,  Lieutenant  Francis  Elisa 
dispatched  the  Princess  Royal,  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Alferez  Quimber,  a  Spanish  navigator,  to  ex- 
plore the  Straits  of  Juan  de  Fuca  and  adjacent  waters. 

He  spent  several  months  making  examinations  and 
surveys.  He  gave  names  to  many  points  and  places  in 
this  part  of  the  old  Oregon  country.  He  erected  a  build- 
ing at  Neah  Bay  of  brick  that  he  brought  from  Mexico, 
and  established  his  headquarters  at  that  place.     They 


212  The  Conquerors 

have  some  of  the  brick  at  the  Ferry  Museum  in  Tacoma, 
which  formed  a  part  of  this  historic  Spanish  structure. 

"The  Washington  State  Historical  Society"  has 
made  arrangements  to  place  a  monument  on  the  spot 
where  the  building  was  erected,  commemorative  of  the 
establishment  of  this  Spanish  settlement. 

The  facts  in  regard  to  the  occupancy  of  Oregon  and 
the  extensive  surveys  made  under  the  direction  of  the 
Spanish  Government,  the  several  months  embraced  in 
this  work,  together  with  the  fact  that  they  were  the  first 
to  make  discoveries  and  give  names  to  many  points  of 
interest  in  the  Puget  Sound  country  and  the  waters  con- 
tiguous to  the  straits  of  Juan  de  Fuca,  afiford  unmis- 
takable and  incontrovertible  proof  of  the  rightfulness  of 
the  claim  of  Spain  to  the  Oregon  country.  And  it  is 
a  fact  worthy  of  special  note  that  the  claim  of  Spain 
to  a  large  part  of  the  territory  now  included  in  the  do- 
main of  the  United  States  embraced  Oregon  and  was 
sold  to  France  in  1800  and  purchased  by  the  United 
States  in  1803  for  $15,000,000  in  the  great  land  sale 
known  as  the  Louisiana  Purchase. 

Basis  o^  the  British  Claim  to  the:  Oregon  Country. 

I"  1577  Sir  Francis  Drake,  an  English  navigator, 
entered  the  Golden  Gate  and  anchored  his  ship  in  San 
Francisco  Bay.  It  has  been  claimed  that  this  gave  to 
England  ground  for  claim  of  discovery  in  these  waters. 
This  is  untenable  and  preposterous. 

The  Spanish  Government's  claim  to  Mexico  at  that 
time  was  indisputable.  Her  navigators  discovered  the 
Pacific  side  of  North  America  in  15 19.  This  embraced 
the  northern  part  of  Mexico  and  what  is  now  known 
as  California.  Their  occui)ancy  of  Mexico  was  con- 
temporaneous with  its  discovery. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     213 

Captain  James  Cook,  an  English  navigator,  had 
cruised  in  the  waters  of  the  Pacific,  but  he  did  not  enter 
the  Straits  of  Juan  de  Fuca  or  the  Cokimbia  River,  nor 
did  he  or  Sir  Francis  Drake  estabHsh  a  rightful  claim  in 
behalf  of  their  government  either  by  discovery,  by  being 
first  to  enter  its  inland  waters,  or  by  establishing  a  tem- 
porary occupancy  anywhere  along  the  shore  line  of  the 
Oregon  country. 

In  May,  1792,  Captain  George  Vancouver,  an  English 
navigator  sent  out  by  the  British  Government,  reached 
the  Oregon  coast  with  a  large  and  well  equipped  ex- 
pedition. 

Captain  Vancouver  made  extensive  surveys  and  exe- 
cuted many  maps  and  charts  of  these  waters.  His  notes 
contained  a  vast  amount  of  expert  information  touching 
the  Oregon  country.  He  assumed  the  position  of  god- 
father to  this  American  child  and  was  lavish  in  the 
names  he  gave  to  its  mountains,  its  promontories,  and 
its  inland  seas. 

It  is  strange  that  so  many  of  these  names  have  been 
retained,  when  it  is  remembered  that  the  object  of  the 
donor  in  bestowing  them  was  not  only  to  perpetuate  the 
record  of  his  work,  but  his  expedition,  the  names  he 
gave,  the  reports  he  made,  and  the  work  he  wrought, 
was  designed  to  be  the  entering  wedge  to  British  owner- 
ship 

Its  purpose  was  to  neutralize,  offset,  and  destroy  the 
claim  of  the  United  States  and  to  establish  a  basis  for 
a  counterclaim  of  ownership  to  Oregon  by  the  British 
Government. 

This  (as  the  cattle  men  of  the  plains  would  say) 
was  a  late  and  a  strategic  movement  to  put  the  brand  of 
England  upon  the  Oregon  country. 

Captain  Vancouver's  reports  were  voluminous,  and 


214  The  Conquerors 

in  the  references  made  to  them  by  the  British  press  there 
was  not  wanting  evidence  of  a  disposition  to  greatly 
magnify  and  over-rate  the  importance  of  his  work  as 
the  basis  of  a  claim  to  British  ownership. 

There  is  no  doubt  but  that  the  joint  occupancy  treaty, 
that  masterpiece  of  diplomatic  skill,  was  the  outgrowth 
of  his  work. 

It  is  not  true  that  Captain  Vancouver  was  the  dis- 
coverer of  the  inland  waters  of  the  Oregon  country  or 
the  entrances  to  them.  He  doubtless  saw  and  placed 
upon  his  maps  and  charts  coves,  indentations,  and  curves 
in  the  extensive  shore  lines  of  these  inland  seas  that  the 
American  navigators  who  had  preceded  him  did  not  chart 
or  make  official  record  of ;  but  he  was  not  the  discoverer 
of  anything  on  the  Pacific  coast  that  would  give  pre- 
cedence and  strength  to  the  British  claim  as  compared 
to  that  of  the  United  States,  or  that  would  entitle  his 
government  to  the  ownership  of  the  country  by  virtue 
of  the  discoveries  he  had  made. 

His  entrance  of  the  Straits  of  Juan  de  Fuca  was  made 
subsequent  to  that  of  Captains  Gray  and  Kendrick,  and 
his  entrance  to  the  Columbia  River  was  made  later  in 
1792  than  was  that  of  Captain  Gray,  the  American 
navigator. 

The;  Hudson  Bay  Company. 

The  American  fur  and  trading  companies  operating 
in  the  Oregon  country  were  superseded  by  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company  in  1821.  They  established  trading  posts 
in  different  parts  of  Oregon,  with  headquarters  at  Van- 
couver, on  the  Columbia  River.  These  points  became 
centers  of  population  and  of  a  large  trade.  A  business 
aggregating  millions  of  dollars  annually  was  carried  on 
with  the  Indians  and  with  the  trappers  of  the  country. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     215 

The  claim  of  England  to  the  ownership  of  Oregon  was 
based  upon  the  discoveries  alleged  to  have  been  made 
by  Captain  Vancouver  and  upon  the  occupancy  of  the 
country  by  the  Hudson  Bay  Company. 

Facts  that  Prove  the  Rightfui^ness  of  the  Ci^aim 

OF  THic  United  States  to  the  Originai, 

Oregon  Country. 

In  1788  the  sloop  WasJiington,  under  the  command 
of  Captain  Robert  Gray,  and  the  ship  Columbia,  under 
the  command  of  Captain  John  Kendrick,  American  navi- 
gators, entered  the  Straits  of  Juan  de  Fuca. 

These  vessels  had  been  fitted  out  by  a  company  of 
Boston  merchants,  to  carry  goods  as  articles  of  trade 
and  commerce  with  the  Indians  of  the  northwest  coast 
of  North  America.  They  spent  a  part  of  1788  and  1789 
cruising  in  the  waters  north  and  east  of  the  entrance  to 
the  straits,  bearing  at  the  masthead  of  their  ships  the 
flag  of  the  United  States. 

Captain  Gray,  with  his  sloop  The  Washington,  sailed 
fifty  miles  east  of  the  entrance  to  the  straits.  His  act 
in  this  case  and  the  name  of  his  vessel  give  special  ap- 
propriateness to  the  name  afterward  given  to  this  State, 
whose  shore  line  borders  the  waters  he  navigated  and 
whose  mountain  sentinels  were  silent  witnesses  of  his 
great  work.  Captain  Kendrick  sailed  around  the  island 
now  known  as  Vancouver  Island.  He  was  the  first  to 
make  the  passage  between  the  island  and  the  main  land. 

After  exchanging  the  Washington  for  the  Columbia, 
Captain  Gray  returned  to  the  Atlantic  coast  via  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope,  in  1790,  and  in  making  this  voyage  was 
the  first  to  carry  the  American  flag  around  the  world. 

Captain  Gray  returned  to  the  Pacific  coast  in  1792, 


216  The  Conquerors 

and  on  the  7th  of  May  of  that  year  he  discovered  and 
entered  Gray's  Harbor,  where  he  remained  until  the  loth. 
These  waters  were  named  in  honor  of  their  discoverer. 

On  the  eleventh  day  of  May,  1792,  Captain  Gray  dis- 
covered and  entered  the  Columbia  River.  He  named  this 
great  river  in  honor  of  his  ship. 

Captain  Robert  Gray  was  a  great  sailor.  He  was 
born  in  Tiverton,  Rhode  Island,  in  1755,  and  died  in 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  in  1806.  Thus,  as  we  have 
seen,  the  first  discoveries  and  entrances  through  these 
great  ocean  gateways  into  the  inland  waters  of  the 
Oregon  country  were  made  by  American,  and  not  by 
English  navigators,  giving  the  United  States  precedence 
in  her  claim  of  ownership  as  compared  with  the  claim 
of  England ;  and,  as  we  have  also  seen,  Captain  Gray 
made  the  inland  waters  of  Oregon  the  place  of  prepara- 
tion and  the  starting  point  for  his  famous  voyage  around 
the  world. 

First  Occupancy  01'  the  Oregon  Country. 

Oregon  was  occupied  by  American  trappers  and 
traders  in  the  early  part  of  1800.  The  Missouri  Fur 
Company  was  organized  in  1802. 

The  American  Company,  of  which  John  Jacob  Astor 
was  one  of  the  chief  operators,  began  their  work  in  1809. 
They  established  a  trading  post  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Columbia  River  in  181 1,  and  called  it  Astoria,  in  honor 
of  Mr.  Astor.  Thus  the  Americans  were  not  only  first 
in  the  discovery  of  the  Oregon  country  as  compared  with 
England,  but  they  were  the  first  to  occupy  it. 

Their  occupancy  antedated  that  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company  by  several  years.  The  claim  of  the  United 
States  to  the  ownership  of  the  Oregon   country    (em- 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     217 

bracing  the  region  south  of  Alaska,  north  of  California, 
and  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains)  was  legitimate  and 
right,  the  title  thereto  being  based  upon: 

I  St.  Priority  of  discovery, 

2d.  Priority  of  occupancy, 

3d.  Purchase  of  the  claim  of  Spain. 

These  acts  and  these  facts  made  the  claim  of  the 
United  States  one  of  incomparable  superiority  as  com- 
pared to  that  of  England.  Nevertheless  the  country  was 
open  to  joint  occupancy.  Under  the  circumstances  this 
was  a  strange  and  anomalous  condition. 

It  was  unjust  in  that  it  placed  in  imminent  peril  the 
rightful  claim  of  the  United  States.  It  gave  the  Hud- 
son Bay  Company  and  the  British  Government  an  op- 
portunity to  secure  control  and  ownership  of  the  country, 
in  contravention  of  the  principles  of  equity  that  inhered 
in  the  case,  and  enabled  them  to  obtain,  in  the  final  set- 
tlement of  the  matter,  over  one-half  of  the  square  miles 
of  area  embraced  in  the  old  Oregon  country.  This 
treaty  was  entered  into  in  1818  between  England  and 
the  United  States,  and  was  to  the  effect  that  the  Oregon 
country  should  be  open  alike  to  the  subjects  of  Great 
Britain  and  to  those  of  the  United  States.  This  agree- 
ment was  known  as  the  Joint  Occupancy  Treaty.  It 
was  reaffirmed  in  1827.     It  was  annulled  in  1846. 

The  foregoing  facts  show  that  the  claim  of  the 
United  States  embraced  the  entire  original  Oregon 
country. 

They  also  show  that  the  American  title  was  strong, 
just,  and  as  nearly  perfect  as  it  was  possible  for  it  to  be. 

No  deed  or  conveyance  was  ever  made  in  which  the 
title  to  the  property  described  in  it  was  stronger  or  more 
perfect  than  was  the  title  of  the  United  States  to  the 
territory  west  of  the  Rocky  ]\Iountains,  north  of  the  40th 


218  The  Conquerors 

and  south  of  the  54th  parallel.  They  show,  too,  that  the 
Democrats  were  right  when,  in  the  Polk  campaign,  they 
declared  that  Oregon  belonged  to  the  United  States. 

Jason  Lee's  army  of  occupation,  however,  had  taken 
possession  of  the  country  south  of  the  49th  degree,  but 
had  not  established  an  American  settlement  north  of  it. 
Had  his  colonization  work  embraced  the  northern  part 
of  the  Oregon  country,  or  had  the  officers  of  the  United 
States  Government  recognized  and  asserted  their  rights 
of  discovery,  occupancy,  and  purchase  to  the  extent  de- 
manded by  the  equities  of  the  case,  the  American  flag 
would  to-day  be  the  symbol  of  National  authority  from 
the  Behring  Sea  to  the  Gulf  of  California. 

Treaty  with  Russia. 

A  very  important  historical  fact  that  sustains  the 
claim  of  the  United  States  to  the  ownership  of  the  entire 
original  Oregon  country  is  the  action  taken  by  the  Rus- 
sian and  the  United  States  Governments  touching  their 
relative  rights  and  interests  in  the  Pacific  Northwest. 
This  treaty  was  made  in  1824  and  ratified  in  1825,  the 
third  article  of  which  is  as  follows : 

It  is  moreover  agreed  that  hereafter  there  shall  not  be 
formed  by  the  citizens  of  the  United  States,  or  under  the  author- 
ity of  the  said  States,  any  establishment  upon  the  Northwest 
Coast  of  America.  Nor  in  any  of  the  islands  adjacent  to  the 
north  of  fifty-four  degrees  and  forty  minutes  of  north  latitude, 
and  that  in  the  same  manner  there  shall  be  none  formed  by 
Russian  subjects,  or  under  the  authority  of  Russia,  south  of 
the  same  parallel. 

The  treaty  embraced  a  recognition  of  these  facts : 
1st.  That   the   territory   of   the   governments   named 
joined  on  the  54th  parallel. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     219 

2d.  That  the  boundary  hnc  referred  to  in  the  treaty 
was  such  as  both  countries  had  a  right  to  claim,  because 
of  priority  of  discovery  and  priority  of  occupancy,  and, 
as  we  have  seen,  the  claim  of  the  United  States  to  the 
country  south  of  the  line  was  strengthened  and  supple- 
mented by  the  purchase  of  the  claim  of  Spain. 

The  Hudson  Bay  Company,  by  superseding  the  Amer- 
ican Fur  Companies,  in  1821  became  the  occupants  of 
the  country  and  put  themselves  commercially  in  the  place 
formerly  occupied  by  the  American  Companies ;  by  con- 
tinuing their  occupancy  a  few  years  they  would  naturally 
and  certainly  have  come  into  complete  and  perpetual  pos- 
session of  the  country.  Thus  the  Hudson  Bay  Company, 
from  1 82 1  to  the  time  of  the  coming  to  the  coast  of 
Rev.  Jason  Lee,  in  1834,  had  the  best  of  it,  very  de- 
cidedly the  best  of  it.  They  had,  as  we  have  seen,  estab- 
lished trading  posts  in  different  parts  of  Oregon,  and 
these  were  points  of  great  influence  and  power  in  the 
grip  it  gave  them  upon  the  country.  After  securing  the 
rights  of  Captain  W3^eth,  in  1835,  they  had  everything 
their  own  way.    They  assumed  and  exercised  authority. 

The  representatives  of  the  company  were  English 
subjects,  and  embraced  officers,  employees,  and  beneficia- 
ries. The  country  also  contained  a  large  Indian  popu- 
lation, who  were  taught  to  recognize  allegiance  to  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company  and  to  the  British  crown. 

The  Indians  knew  the  Americans  as  Boston  men, 
and  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  as  King  George's  men. 

The  few  American  traders  and  trappers  who  resided 
in  the  country  chafed  perhaps  under  the  yoke  of  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company  and  were  chagrined  to  sec  the 
claims  of  the  United  States  trailed  in  the  dust,  but  they 
were  as  powerless  to  render  any  assistance  to  their  coun- 


220  The  Conquerors 

try  or  free  themselves  from  the  grip  of  the  monopoly 
that  ruled  them  as  if  they  had  been  Eg>'ptian  mummies. 

With  every  vestige  of  American  influence  eliminated 
from  the  case,  and  all  hope  of  American  control  swept 
away  by  the  absorption  and  swallowing  up  of  the  Ameri- 
can fur  companies  that  years  before  had  operated  in  the 
country,  add  to  this  the  fact  that  under  the  joint  occu- 
pancy arrangement  the  rights  of  Great  Britain  in  Oregon 
were  equal  to  those  of  the  United  States,  the  outlook  for 
American  supremacy  in  Oregon  was  one  of  almost  utter 
hopelessness.  These  were  the  exact  conditions  that  pre- 
vailed in  1834,  when  Jason  Lee  came  into  the  country. 

The  most  casual  observer  of  the  facts  involved  can  not 
fail  to  see  that  there  was  nothing  in  the  situation  that  gave 
special  promise  of  change  in  these  conditions ;  on  the 
contrary,  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  would  have  in- 
trenched themselves  more,  and  yet  more  strongly  as  the 
years  went  by,  and  continued  their  occupancy  of  the 
country. 

The  American  trappers  and  traders,  Captain  Wyeth, 
Captain  McKay,  Mr.  Joseph  Meek,  and  others,  did  heroic 
service  in  behalf  of  Oregon,  but  the  opportunity  to  do 
this  came  to  them  as  a  result  of  the  presence  and  work 
of  the  missionaries  herein  referred  to,  and  this  whole 
question  of  Americanizing  Oregon  was  opened  to  them 
and  to  the  people  of  the  United  States  and  to  the  Govern- 
ment itself  by  the  work  of  Jason  Lee  in  the  establish- 
ment of  his  mission  work  in  Oregon. 

Mr.  Robert  Shortess  and  other  representative  men 
who  came  to  the  coast  with  the  emigration  of  1842  also 
did  much  effective  work  in  behalf  of  Oregon,  but,  as 
wc  have  seen,  their  coming  was  the  result  of  the  work 
of  Jason  Lee.  It  was  the  American  settlement  made  by 
him,  and  the  strong  and  overwhelming  American  senti- 


RKV.  GUSTAVUS  HINES.  REW   H.   K.    MINKS,   D.    I). 


REV.  A.  J.  JOSI.VN, 


HON,  C.  B.  BAGLEY. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Countrij     221 

ment  he  had  created  throughout  the  Uuitcd  States,  and 
the  untiring  persistency  and  energy  with  which  the  mis- 
sionaries pushed  their  side  of  the  case,  that  gave  pre- 
eminence and  success  to  the  American  contention  and 
enabled  the  missionaries  to  win  their  case  against  the  in- 
trenched position  of  that  giant  monopoly,  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company,  in  so  far  as  their  claim  applied  to  the 
southern  half  of  the  original  Oregon  country. 

From  the  autumn  of  1834  to  July  5,  1843,  was  the 
formative  period  in  the  life  of  the  American  Colony  in  a 
sense  and  to  an  extent  that  can  not  be  rightfully  claimed 
for  any  other  period.  The  work  that  was  done  and  the 
events  that  occurred  during  these  years  shaped  the  des- 
tiny and  fixed  the  national  status  of  the  southern  half 
of  the  Oregon  country  certainly  and  irrevocably.  From 
this  conclusion  there  is  no  possible  escape,  if  the  facts 
in  the  case  are  considered. 

And  it  will  be  observed  that  these  events  had  their 
origin,  their  progress,  and  their  culmination  in  the  efforts 
of  Jason  Lee  and  embrace  the  exact  period  covered  by 
his  work  in  behalf  of  Oregon. 


CHAPTER  IX 
Work  of  the  American  Board  in  Oregon 

The  Missions  of  "The  American  Board  of  Commis- 
sioners for  Foreign  Missions"  were  established  in  Oregon 
east  of  the  Cascade  Mountains  in  1836. 

The  initial  work  and  correspondence  incident  thereto 
was  done  by  Dr.  Marcus  Whitman. 

He  was  born  at  Rushville,  New  York,  September  4, 
1802.  His  parents  were  prominent  citizens  of  that  place 
and  honored  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He 
studied  medicine  in  Pittsfield,  Massachusetts,  and  after- 
ward practiced  his  profession  in  Canada  for  four  years ; 
at  the  end  of  this  time  he  returned  to  his  native  town  in 
New  York,  where  he  continued  his  medical  studies  and 
practice.  He  was  a  devoted  Christian  and  took  great 
interest  in  missionary  work.  He  began  his  missionary 
labors  in  1835,  and  in  1836  he  crossed  the  continent  and 
began  missionary  work  in  Oregon. 

Mr.  J.  G.  Webb,  of  Seattle,  who  has  a  personal  knowl- 
edge of  the  facts  about  which  he  speaks,  says : 

Miss  Narcissa  Prentiss  was  a  daughter  of  Judge  Prentiss, 
of  Angelica,  New  York. 

From  the  time  when,  at  twelve  years  of  age,  she  gave  her 
heart  to  God  and  united  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  at 
Plattsburg,  New  York,  she  felt  that  God  called  her  into  the 
mission  field. 

She  had  a  voice  of  charming  sweetness  and  led  (soprano) 
in  the  church  choir  at  Angelica. 

222 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     223 

In  the  Presbyterian  Churcli  at  that  place,  in  February,  1836, 
Dr.  Whitman  and  Miss  Prentiss  were  married. 

A  farewell  service  was  held  in  the  church  at  Angelica. 
The  pastor  announced  the  hymn;  all  present  joined  heartily  in 
the  singing ;  soon,  evercome  by  emotion,  every  voice  was  hushed, 
and  Mrs.  Whitman,  in  clear,  sweet  tones,  sang  it  to  the  end 
without  a  single  discordant  note.  The  hymn  sung  had  special 
reference  to  the  tender  ties  of  love  and  friendship  that  existed 
between  Miss  Prentiss  and  the  members  of  the  Church  and 
congregation. 

The  following  are  the  words  of  the  hymn: 

Yes,  my  native  land,  I  love  thee; 
All  thy  scenes,  I  love  them  well ; 
Friends,    connections,    happy    country, 
Can  I  bid  you  all  farewell? 

Can  I  leave  you, 
Far  in  heathen  lands  to  dwell? 

Yes,  I  hasten  from  you  gladly, 
From  the  scenes   I   loved  so  well; 
Far  away,  ye  billows,  bear  me; 
Lovely  native  land,  farewell; 

Pleased  I  leave  thee, 
Far  in  heathen  lands  to  dwell. 

In  the  desert  let  me  labor, 
On  the  mountain  let  me  tell 
How  He  died,  the  blessed  Savior, 
To  redeem  the  world  from  hell. 

Let  me  hasten, 
Far  in  heathen  lands  to  dwell. 

Bear  me  on,  thou  restless  ocean; 
Let  the  wind  my  canvas  swell; 
Heaves  my  heart  with  warm  emotion. 
While  I  go  far  hence  to  dwell. 

Glad  I  bid  thee 
Native  land,  farewell,  farewell. 

Soon  thereafter  began  one  of  the  most  remarkable  wedding 
lours  ever  recorded. 


224  The  Conquerors 

These  same  queenly  characteristics  and  ChristHke 
quaHties,  hfted  into  the  subHme  in  sacrifice  and  heroic 
deeds,  were  manifested  by  herself  and  Mrs.  Spalding 
when  they  laid  themselves  upon  the  altars  of  God  and 
humanity  and  consented  to  accompany  their  husbands 
through  forest  jungles,  over  mountain  trails,  and  desert 
plains,  in  order  that  they  might  assist  in  bearing  messages 
of  hope  and  help  to  the  Indian  tribes  on  the  western  coast 
of  North  America. 

(The  author  regrets  his  inability  to  furnish  photos 
of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Whitman.  There  is  not  a  true  life 
picture  of  them  in  existence,  so  far  as  known.  Those 
that  have  appeared  in  books  and  pamphlets  were  not 
taken  from  life  and  are  not  true  pictures.) 

A  company  of  five  persons  was  sent  out  by  the 
American  Board  in  1836.  The  personnel  of  this  mis- 
sionary family  was  as  follows :  Dr.  Marcus  Whitman  and 
wife,  Rev.  H.  H.  Spalding  and  wife,  and  Mr.  W.  H. 
Gray,  a  single  man.  They  traveled  the  continent  across 
and  arrived  at  the  Hudson  Bay  Company's  post  at  Walla 
Walla  on  the  first  day  of  September,  1836.  (It  is  a 
singular  coincidence  that  Jason  Lee  and  his  party  reached 
the  same  point  September  i,  1834.)  In  1838  the  names 
of  Rev.  E.  Walker  and  Gushing  Eells,  with  their  wives, 
also  Rev.  A.  B.  Smith,  were  added  to  the  list.  Missions 
were  established  at  Waiiletpu,  on  the  Walla  W^alla  River, 
among  the  Cayuse  Indians,  of  which  Dr.  Whitman  had 
personal  charge,  and  one  at  Lapwai,  on  the  Clear  Water, 
among  the  Nez  Perces,  of  which  Mr.  Spalding  had  per- 
sonal charge. 

In  1838  a  mission  was  established  at  Kamiah,  among 
the  Nez  Perces.  In  1839  Messrs.  Eells  and  Walker 
opened  a  mission  at  Tshimakain,  among  the  Spokanes. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     225 

In  writing  of  the  work  at  these  several  stations,  Rev. 
Myron  Eells  says : 

The  first  few  years  of  (he  mission  were  very  encouraging. 
Owing  partly  to  the  novelty,  the  Indians  at  Lapwai  seemed 
anxious  to  labor,  to  learn  at  school,  and  to  receive  religious  in- 
struction; as  soon  as  one  had  learned  something  more  than 
others,  they  would  gather  around  him,  while  he  would  be  their 
teacher. 

They  sometimes  spent  whole  nights  in  repeating  over  what 
they  had  learned  at  the  religious  services. 

From  one  to  two  thousand  gathered  for  worship  at  these 
meetings.  Two  thousand  made  a  public  profession  of  sin  and 
promised  to  serve  God.  Many  of  them  evidently  did  so  with  im- 
perfect ideas,  yet  not  a  few  were  believed  to  give  evidence  of 
conversion. 

Among  the  Cayuses  also  more  were  ready  to  attend  the 
school  than  the  mission  family  could  supply  with  books  or  had 
ability  to  teach.  Morning  and  evening  worship  was  maintained 
in  all  the  principal  lodges,  and  a  confesson  of  sin  was  made 
similar  to  that  among  the  Nez  Perces. 

For  a  time,  when  Dr.  Whitman  or  Mr.  Spalding  traveled 
through  the  country  they  were  followed  by  hundreds  of  Indians 
eager  to  see  them  and  hear  Bible  truths  at  night.  They  had  a 
strong  desire  for  hoes  and  other  agricultural  implements  and 
were  willing  to  part  with  any  property  they  had  in  order  to 
obtain  them,  even  bringing  their  rifles  to  be  manufactured  into 
such  articles.  From  eighty  to  one  hundred  families  planted  fields 
near  Mr.  Spalding's,  and  many  near  Dr.  Whitman's  place  raised 
enough  provisions  to  supply  the  mission.  In  1838  Mr.  Spalding 
reported  that  his  field  produced  2,000  bushels  of  potatoes,  besides 
wheat  and  other  articles.  In  1841  a  saw  and  grist  mill  was 
erected  among  the  Nez  Perces,  and  a  grist  mill  among  the 
Cayuses.  In  1839  the  mission  received  a  donation  from  Rev. 
H.  Bingham's  Church  at  Honolulu,  Sandwich  Islands,  of  a  small 
printing  press,  with  types,  furniture,  paper,  and  other  things,  to 
the  value  of  $450.  Mr.  E.  O.  Hall,  a  printer  from  the  islands, 
came  with  the  press,  and  the  first  book  printed  west  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  so  far  as  known,  was  issued  that  fall  in  the 
Nez  Perces  language,  and  also  in  that  of  the  Spokanes. 
15 


226  The  Conquerors 

A  Presbyterian  Church  was  organized  at  Waiiletpu, 
August  1 8,  1838. 

Rev.  H.  H.  Spalding  was  elected  pastor,  and  Dr. 
]\Iarcus  Whitman  ruling  elder.  The  following  resolu- 
tion was  adopted  at  the  time  of  the  organization : 

Resolved,  That  this  Church  be  governed  on  the  Congrega- 
tional plan,  but  attached  to  the  Bath  Presbytery,  New  York, 
and  that  we  adopt  its  form  of  faith  and  covenant. 

This  was  the  first  Presbyterian  Church  organized  in 
North  America  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

Dr.  Whitman  was  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  Wheeler,  New  York,  and  Dr.  Spalding  was 
a  member  of  the  Bath  Presbytery,  New  York.  They 
and  their  wives,  with  a  number  of  Indians,  formed  the 
nucleus  of  this  the  second  Protestant  Church  organiza- 
tion established  in  Oregon. 

The  mission  work  at  these  points  and  among  these 
tribes  was  very  successful  and  seemed  to  have  in  it  the 
elements  of  permanency. 

A  large  number  of  them  had  renounced  their  pagan 
customs  and  had  given  evidence  of  their  changed  con- 
dition by  the  better  and  nobler  lives  they  were  living, 
but  it  is  more  especially  evident  in  the  fact  that,  several 
years  thereafter.  Dr.  Spalding,  in  visiting  among  them, 
found  them  worthily  maintaining  the  principles  of  the 
Christian  life.  Their  faithfulness  and  constancy  sur- 
prised him.  To-day,  as  the  result  of  the  missionary 
work  herein  described,  there  are  not  less  than  seven 
Presbyterian  Churches  among  this  people.  A  fact  that 
illustrates  the  correctness  of  this  estimate  of  the  char- 
acter of  the  work  done  and  its  effect  upon  the  Indians, 
occurred  in  the  fifties,  when  Governor  Isaac  Stevens  and 
his  party  traveled  through  that  \)^vt  of  the  country,  mak- 
ing treaties  with  the  Indians.     It  was  necessary  for  him 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     227 

to  pass  through  a  region  where  they  were  in  danger  from 
hostile  bands;  the  Nez  Perces  offered  him  protection 
and  furnished  an  escort  to  guide  and  protect  him.  When 
Saturday  night  came  they  went  into  camp  and  remained 
there  over  Sunday.  They  said:  "This  is  the  Lord's 
day;  we  will  not  travel  or  work."  They  engaged  in 
acts  of  devotion  and  worship  instead  of  the  usual  week- 
day labor. 

Through  all  the  dark  days  and  years  that  followed 
the  assassination  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Whitman  and  the 
breaking  up  of  the  Mission,  many  of  the  Nez  Perces 
maintained  regular  religious  services  among  themselves. 

Alice  Clarissa  Whitman,  daughter  of  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Whitman,  was  born  at  Walla  Walla,  March  4,  1837,  and 
was  drowned  in  the  Walla  Walla  River,  June  23,  1839. 
She  was  the  first  American  child  born  in  this  Pacific 
coast  country  among  the  missionary  families. 

It  has  been  claimed,  and  I  have  no  reason  to  doubt 
the  correctness  of  the  statement,  that  the  cost  of  the 
establishment  and  the  maintenance  of  the  Missions  of 
the  American  Board  east  of  the  Cascade  Mountains  dur- 
ing the  eleven  years  of  their  existence  was  forty  thou- 
sand dollars. 

In  April,  1838,  when  Mr.  Lee  was  on  his  way  to 
Washington  with  that  immortal  document,  the  memorial 
drawn  by  himself  and  Mr.  P.  L.  Edwards,  he  stopped 
for  a  day  or  two  at  Dr.  Whitman's,  at  Waiiletpu.  Mr. 
Lee,  in  his  Journal,  describes  this  visit  as  follows : 

Dr.  Whitman  came  and  conducted  us  to  the  house;  Mrs. 
Whitman  met  us  at  the  door,  and  I  soon  found  myself  seated 
and  engaged  in  earnest  and  familiar  conversation  as  if  we  were 
old  acquaintances.  This  was  Saturday.  On  Sunday,  the  15th 
of  April,  Mr.  Lee  said,  "I  had  a  very  interesting  time  preaching 
to  the  Indians  while  the  doctor  interpreted." 


228  The  Conquerors 

Mrs.  Whitman,  in  writing  to  her  parents  after  this  visit 
of  Mr.  Lee,  and  speaking  of  an  Indian  called  Untippe,  said: 
'"Last  Saturday  he  came  here  to  spend  the  Sabbath.  He  said 
that  he  recently  had  two  fainting  turns,  and  that  he  could  not 
live  long."  Sabbath,  Mr.  Lee  preached  and  husband  inter- 
preted. He  (Untippe)  said,  The  truth  never  cheered  him  be- 
fore. Always  when  he  had  attended  worship  his  mind  had  been 
on  those  about  him,  but  now  it  had  been  on  what  was  said 
to  him." 

Mrs.  Whitman  said,  "Mr.  Lee  has  spent  some  time  with 
us,  and  we  have  been  greatly  refreshed  by  his  prayers  and 
conversation." 

A  Change  oi^  Spirit  Among  the  Indians. 

Suddenly  the  mutterings  of  discontent  were  heard; 
these  continued  and  increased  in  volume  as  the  months 
and  the  years  went  by.  A  spirit  of  hatred  for  the  white 
people  manifested  itself.  The  lives  of  the  missionaries 
were  threatened  and  their  safety  imperiled.  On  the  29th 
day  of  November,  1847,  Dr.  Whitman  and  his  wife  were 
massacred. 

Whitman  lived  a  useful  life 

And  died  a  martyr's  death ; 
Beside  him  was  his  noble  wife, 
Faithful  and  true  amid  the  strife 

And  the  encircling  gloom. 

Their  night  of  sorrow  was  sad  and  short, 

Its  shadows  soon  passed  away; 
Its  darkness  was  overcome  and  lost 

In  the  light  of  their  coronation  day. 

The  Cayuse  Indians  at  Waiiletpu,  for  whom  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Whitman  had  kindly  cared  and  for  whose  welfare 
they  felt  the  tenderest  solicitude,  were  the  leaders  in  this 
massacre.  Missionary  work  among  the  Nez  Perces 
seems  to  have  been  accompanied  with  a  larger  degree  of 
success  than  that  among  the  Cayuses.    This  was  due,  no 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     229 

doubt,  to  the  superior  character  of  the  Nez  Forces,  as 
compared  to  that  of  other  tribes  in  Oregon. 

Revs.  H.  H.  Spalding,  Gushing,  Eells,  A.  B.  Smith, 
and  E.  Walker,  with  their  famihes  and  other  teachers 
and  helpers,  escaped  with  their  lives,  and  the  Missions 
east  of  the  Cascade  Mountains  were  abandoned. 

Immediately  thereafter  Colonel  H.  A.  G.  Lee,  mili- 
tary commandant  of  that  region,  proclaimed  that  part 
of  the  country  closed  to  missionaries.  This  was  a  mere 
form.  It  was  closed  with  something  more  imperative 
than  a  military  order. 

The  work  among  the  Indians  east  of  the  Cascade 
Mountains  could  not  have  continued  if  no  such  order 
had  been  issued.  Although  Messrs.  Walker  and  Eells 
retained  their  connection  nominally  with  the  Missionary 
Board  for  a  few  years  longer,  this  was  the  end  of  the 
work  of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  For- 
eign Missions  among  the  Indians  of  Oregon. 

The:  Ashburton  Tri^aty. 

During  the  period  when,  it  is  alleged,  Oregon  was 
in  danger  of  being  lost,  and  Dr.  Whitman,  as  it  is 
claimed,  made  his  memorable  midwinter  journey  and 
saved  it,  the  Ashburton  Treaty  was  being  negotiated.  It 
involved  two  questions ;  viz.,  the  boundary  line  between 
Maine,  Vermont,  and  New  Hampshire  on  the  one  side, 
and  Canada  on  the  other,  which  was  in  dispute,  and  the 
relative  rights  and  privileges  of  the  Americans  and  the 
Canadians  in  the  fisheries  of  the  New  England  coast. 
The  British  side  of  the  case  was  represented  by  Lord 
Ashburton,  and  the  American  side  by  Daniel  Webster. 

Neither  of  these  questions  had  anything  whatever 
to  do  with  the  claim  of  the  United  States  to  the  terri- 
tory of  Oregon, 


230  The  Conquerors 

DipivOMATic  Correspondence. 

The  decided  tone  of  the  correspondence  between  the 
United  States  and  Great  Britain  touching  the  Oregon 
question,  and  the  boundary  Hne  thereof,  is  proof  of  the 
correctness  of  this  statement 

1st.  Hon.  Henry  Clay,  Secretary  of  State,  in  a  letter 
of  instructions  to  Mr.  Gallatin,  our  minister  to  England, 
touching  the  American  claim  to  this  Pacific  coast  country 
and  the  boundary  line  thereof,  said: 

You  are  authorized  to  propose  the  annulment  of  the  third 
article  of  the  Convention  of  1818  and  the  extension  of  the  line 
on  the  parallel  of  49  from  the  eastern  side  of  the  Stony  Moun- 
tains, where  it  now  terminates,  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  as  the  per- 
manent boundary  between  the  territories  of  the  two  powers  in 
that  quarter.    This  is  our  ultimatum,  and  so  you  may  announce  it. 

The  letter  bears  date  of  June  19,  1826.     (See  Doc. 
199,  20th  Cong.,  Sec.  5,  H.  of  R.) 

This  language  is  certainly  very  explicit  and  decisive 
as  to  our  claim,  and  the  determination  of  the  Govern- 
ment to  maintain  and  secure  their  rights  in  the  premises. 

2d.  President  Monroe,  in  his  message  to  Congress 
in  1838,  says: 

In  looking  to  the  interests  which  the  United  States,  have  on 
the  Pacific  coast  and  on  the  western  side  of  this  continent,  the 
importance  of  establishing  a  military  post  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Columbia  River,  or  at  some  point  in  that  quarter  within  our 
acknowledged  limits,  is  submitted  to  the  attention  of  Congress, 
our  commerce  on  that  sea  is  increasing.  It  is  thought  that  a  mili- 
tary post,  to  which  our  ships  of  war  might  resort,  would  afford 
protection  to  every  interest. 

To  carry  this  object  into  effect,  the  appropriation  of  an 
adequate  sum  to  authorize  the  employment  of  a  frigate,  to  en- 
able the  Executive  to  make  such  establishment  at  the  most  suit- 
able point  is  recommended  to  Congress. — (From  records  of  25th 
Congress,  Second  Session.) 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Countrij     231 

3d.  Congress  had  on  the  28th  day  of  January,  1839, 
taken  action  on  the  bill  outlined  by  Jason  Lee  and  pre- 
sented by  Mr.  Linn ;  though  its  provisions  were  not  im- 
mediately carried  out,  it  clearly  foreshadowed  the  pur- 
pose of  the  Government  to  maintain  its  rights  in  Oregon. 

4th.  Several  exploring  expeditions  had  been  sent  to 
the  coast  to  secure  information  and  open  the  way  for 
the  occupancy  and  settlement  of  the  country.  The  ex- 
peditions under  Generals  Lewis  and  Clark,  and  that  un- 
der Captain  Wilkes,  have  been  referred  to  in  these  pages. 
In  addition  to  these  Captain  John  C.  Fremont  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  Government  to  the  leadership  of  two 
exploring  expeditions  that  had  for  their  object  the  se- 
curing of  information  and  opening  the  way  for  the 
American  occupancy  of  the  Oregon  country. 

In  1842  he  examined  the  South  Pass  and  other  ap- 
proaches to  the  country  bordering  on  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

On  May  4,  1843,  he  left  the  town  of  Kansas  with  a 
picked  company  of  thirty-nine  men,  for  the  purpose  of 
examining  the  country  between  the  Rocky  Mountains 
and  the  Pacific.  He  was  directed  to  connect  his  surveys 
with  those  of  Captain  Charles  Wilkes. 

He  camped  for  some  time  at  The  Dalles,  on  the 
Mission  grounds  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

His  report  elicited  great  praise  from  Congress  and 
also  from  scientific  men  in  the  United  States  and  Europe. 
Thousands  of  copies  of  his  report  were  distributed 
throughout  the  country. 

5th.  Five  thousand  dollars  had  been  appropriated  by 
the  Government  to  assist  in  the  outfitting  of  the  mis- 
sionary expedition  under  Jason  Lee  in  1839. 

Note. — The  United  States  Government  sent  out  Col.  Fremont  (who  was 
afterward  known  as  the  great  pathfinder)  to  ascertain  the  most  practicable  route 
over  which  the  emigrants,  who  were  the  first  fruits  of  Jason  Lee's  colonization 
work  in  Illinois  and  elsewhere,  could  reach  the  American  mission  settlement  in  the 
Willamette  Valley,  and  thus  save  Oregon. 


232  The  Conquerors 

6th.  Mr.  William  A.  Slacum  had  been  sent  to  the 
coast  to  make  special  investigation. 

7th.  Elijah  White  had  been  appointed  by  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  as  sub-Indian  agent  for  Oregon. 

There  can  be  no  mistake  as  to  the  meaning  of  these 
things,  for  but  one  interpretation  is  possible. 

The  government  would  not  and  could  not  be  putting 
forth  efforts  to  make  Oregon  an  American  Common- 
wealth, and  be  guilty  of  such  duplicity  and  double-dealing 
as  would  necessarily  be  involved  in  the  case,  if  at  the 
same  time  an  effort  was  being  made  to  barter  Oregon 
away. 

8th.  Mr,  Daniel  Webster,  Secretary  of  State  in  1840, 
wrote  to  Mr.  Everett,  our  minister  to  England,  as  fol- 
lows: "The  Government  of  the  United  States  has  never 
offered  any  line  south  of  forty-nine,  and  never  will,  and 
England  must  not  expect  anything  south  of  the  forty- 
ninth  degree."  This  statement  is  capable  of  no  other 
construction  than  that  it  was  the  intention  of  the  United 
States  Government  to  maintain  her  rights  in  Oregon, 
without  equivocation,  compromise,  sale,  or  barter  of  any 
kind  or  sort,  as  far  north  as  the  line  indicated  in  this 
letter  of  instructions. 

9th.  Assurances  had  been  made  to  Jason  Lee  by  the 
officers  of  the  Government,  of  encouragement  and  help 
in  behalf  of  his  work  in  Oregon.  The  facts  concerning 
some  of  these  interviews  are  given  in  these  pages,  and 
many  of  the  acts  referred  to  are  in  the  nature  of  a  ful- 
fillment of  the  pledges  made.^ 

The  large  sums  of  money  expended  iipon  the  ex- 
peditions   the    Government    had    sent    to    Oregon,    the 

1  The  Interest  of  the  Government  in  the  mission  work  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  in  Oregon  had  its  beginning  in  1833,  when  Bishop  Emory  had  an 
interview  with  Mr.  Raub,  of  the  War  Department,  and  wlien,  at  the  suggestion  of 
these  officers  of  the  Government,  correspondence  was  begun  with  General  Clark. 
/See  first  chaiJter  in  this  book.J 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     233 

great  care  and  watchfulness  required  and,  no  doubt, 
given  in  their  organization  and  management,  these  and 
other  acts  of  a  kindred  nature  had  committed  the  United 
States  Government  to  a  course  that  involved  the  occu- 
pancy and  control  of  the  country.  They  give  incontro- 
vertible proof  of  the  fact  that  it  was  the  intention  of  the 
Government  to  hold  Oregon  as  far  north  at  least  as  the 
49th  parallel.  And  it  will  be  observed  that  these  events 
occurred  and  these  statements  were  made  previous  to 
Dr.  Whitman's  famous  and  hasty  journey  across  the  con- 
tinent. In  view  of  these  historical  facts  the  claim  that 
Oregon  was  about  to  be  bartered  away  and  that  Dr. 
Whitman  arrived  in  Washington  just  in  time  to  have  an 
audience  with  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and 
thus  prevented  the  deal  and  saved  Oregon,  is  a  colossal 
absurdity  and  unadulterated  nonsense.  These  acts  and 
official  utterances  are  unmistakably  clear  in  the  expres- 
sion of  the  purpose  of  the  United  States.  The  equip- 
ment and  maintenance  of  the  expeditions  and  special 
agents  sent  out  to  make  expert  investigations  not  only 
implied  much  interest  and  care  in  behalf  of  Oregon,  but 
they  signified  something  stronger  and  more  definite  than 
a  mere  implication ;  they  were  a  positive  affirmation  of 
knowledge  of,  of  interest  in,  and  of  determination  to 
assert  and  maintain  her  rights  in  the  case.  The  only 
thing  that  could  have  changed  the  clearly  defined  and 
oft  expressed  intention  of  the  United  States  Government 
to  hold  Oregon  would  have  been  the  continued  prepon- 
derance in  numbers  and  in  influence  of  the  settlers  de- 
claring in  favor  of  English  supremacy.  The  country 
being  open  to  joint  occupancy,  gave  equal  rights  and  an 
equal  chance  to  the  rival  claimants  in  their  efforts  to 
secure  national  control. 

To  avoid  any  contingency  or  uncertainty  about  the 


234  The  Conquerors 

outcome,  encouragement  was  given  by  the  Government 
to  Jason  Lee  to  assist  him  in  the  colonization  of  Oregon. 
His  success  in  this  great  work  was  the  crowning  achieve- 
ment of  his  life  and  one  of  the  important  events  of  the 
nineteenth  century. 

In  a  sense  he  was  the  agent  of  the  United  States 
Government  in  founding  an  American  Commonwealth 
in  Oregon,  as  well  as  the  gifted  leader  of  the  movement 
to  establish  the  missions  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  on  the  western  coast  of  North  America. 


CHAPTER  X 

The  Missions  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

and  the  Missions  of  the  American  Board 

in  Oregon  Compared 

While  the  missions  established  east  of  the  Cascade 
Mountains  by  Drs.  Whitman,  Spalding,  Eells,  Gray,  and 
Walker  did  much  good  among  the  Indians  and  contrib- 
uted in  some  degree  toward  American  control  on  the 
Pacific  coast,  they  were  not  in  any  sense  potential  fac- 
tors in  the  case  and  had  but  slight  effect  in  determining 
the  national  status  of  Oregon. 

The  settlement  established  by  Jason  Lee,  and  the 
work  associated  with  it,  was  the  key  to  the  entire  situ- 
ation. It  was  the  one  and  the  only  American  settlement 
ever  made  in  Oregon  where  it  was  possible  to  outrank 
the  Hudson  Bay  Company  in  numbers  and  in  influence. 

Of  the  mission  settlements  established  in  the  Oregon 
country  by  Jason  Lee  and  Dr.  Whitman,  respectively, 
one  was  temporary,  the  other  permanent.  As  we  have 
seen.  Dr.  Whitman's  mission  had  its  beginning  in  the 
fall  of  1836  at  Waiilctpu,  east  of  the  Cascade  Moun- 
tains, and  was  closed  in  the  autumn  of  1847. 

Jason  Lee's  mission  was  begun  in  the  fall  of  1834  in 
the  Willamette  Valley  near  Salem.  It  was  the  basis, 
the  nucleus,  and  the  frame  work  of  an  American  settle- 
ment that  has  remained  unto  this  day. 

The  one  mission  consisted  of  a  few  missionaries  and 
their  families;  the  other  embraced  a  large  number  of 

235 


236  The  Conquerors 

missionaries,  their  families,  and  a  constantly  increasing 
number  of  home  builders  who  came  to  the  coast  and  be- 
came a  part  of  the  mission  settlement  and  assisted  the 
missionaries  in  the  transition  work  that  rapidly  trans- 
formed the  mission  into  a  strong  American  colony. 

Dr.  Whitman's  mission  was  among  the  Indians  ex- 
clusively. 

Mr.  Lee's  mission  began  with  the  Indians,  but  soon 
came  to  embrace  a  vigorous  American  settlement  that 
was  continuous,  accretive,  intensely  American,  and  thor- 
oughly in  earnest  in  their  purpose  and  efforts  to  secure 
American  supremacy  in  Oregon. 

The  missionaries  of  the  American  Board  were  de- 
pendent upon  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  for  their  sup- 
plies (except  what  they  produced  themselves).  The 
missionaries  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  1840 
became  an  independent  and  self-sustaining  American 
settlement.  They  were  not  only  able  to  take  care  of 
themselves,  but  were  also  able  to  assist  in  supplying  the 
wants  of  the  American  settlers  who  came  among  them. 

The  mission  of  the  American  Board  founded  no  com- 
munities. One  of  the  most  potential  factors  in  the  work 
of  the  Methodist  Mission  was  its  colonization  features. 
This  was  the  determining  element  in  the  establishment 
of  American  institutions  in  Oregon. 

The  mission  of  Dr.  Whitman  at  Waiiletpu  reached 
the  zenith  of  its  power  in  1840,  and  seven  years  later 
was  discontinued.  The  Methodist  Mission  settlement  in 
the  Willamette  Valley  took  on  a  vigorous  and  decisive 
form  of  American  life  in  1840;  it  successfully  maintained 
and  strengthened  its  position,  and  solved  the  Oregon 
question  in  1843  by  establishing  a  Provisional  Govern- 
ment. 

When   Dr.   Whitman's   mission   was   closed   and   the 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     237 

missionaries  were  gone,  there  was  not  a  white  person 
left  in  the  settlement.  The  Indians  who  had  occupied  that 
part  of  the  comitry  for  centuries  only  remained. 

The  Oregon  country  east  of  the  Cascade  Mountains, 
where  the  missions  of  Dr.  Whitman  were  located,  was 
not  occupied  by  Americans,  nor  was  its  permanent  set- 
tlement begun  for  many  years  after  the  closing  of  the 
Whitman  mission. 

A  distinguishing  feature  in  Mr.  Lee's  mission  work, 
the  significance  of  which  was  far-reaching,  and  one  of 
the  most  important  pivots  upon  which  hinged  the  Amer- 
ican conquest  of  Oregon,  was  the  transfer  of  his  work 
in  large  part  from  the  Indians  to  the  white  people. 

Thus  his  mission  involved  more  than  a  temporary 
sojourn  in  the  country  to  do  Christian  work  among  the 
Indians.  It  became  a  tentative  American  settlement, 
possessing  the  elements  necessary  to  the  maintenance 
of  a  healthful  and  permanent  existence. 

Mr.  Lee  was  able  to  make  it  such  because  of  the 
great  interest  he  had  awakened  throughout  the  country 
in  behalf  of  Oregon.  It  was  this  awakening  that  caused 
the  people  to  come  to  the  coast  in  great  numbers. 

It  was  this  that  brought  large  sums  of  money  into 
the  missionary  treasury. 

It  was  this  that  led  logically  and  naturally  to  the 
establishment  of  a  strong  American  community  and  the 
laying  the  foundations  of  empire  in  the  lands  that  skirt 
these  Western  seas. 

It  was  this  that  made  Mr.  Lee's  movement  for  Amer- 
ican control  in  the  southern  half  of  the  Oregon  country 
a  great  success. 

During  the  formative  period  of  American  life  in 
Oregon,  from  1834  to  July  5,  1843,  it  was  impossible 
for  the  missionaries  under  Dr.  Whitman  to  contribute 


238  The  Conquerors 

in  any  large  degree  to  the  solution  of  the  Oregon  question. 

They  were  in  the  interior  of  the  country,  isolated  and 
separated  by  great  mountain  barriers  from  the  larger 
bodies  of  Americans  in  Western  Oregon. 

They  did  not,  and  could  not,  come  in  close  touch  with 
the  active  work  of  the  American  colonists  in  the  Wil- 
lamette Valley  in  their  efforts  to  secure  American  con- 
trol in  Oregon,  for,  while  they  were  deeply  interested  in 
this  work  and  were  anxious  to  assist  in  it  in  every  way 
possible,  the  distance  and  the  difficulties  of  cummunica- 
tion  between  the  mission  of  Dr.  Whitman  and  the  mission 
headquarters  of  the  American  colonists  in  Western  Ore- 
gon precluded  the  possibility  of  easy  and  frequent  ex- 
change and  of  effective  participation  in  the  work  of  se- 
curing American  supremacy  in  Oregon. 

And  in  addition  to  this,  no  American  settlers  identified 
themselves  with  the  missions  east  of  the  Cascade  Moun- 
tains with  a  view  to  establishing  permanent  homes  in 
that  region. 

No  American  settlement  (other  than  that  composed 
of  the  missionaries  and  their  families)  was  founded 
there.  For  these  reasons  it  was  impossible  for  them  to 
exert  a  determining  influence  upon  the  Oregon  question. 

Oregon,  the  first  American  Commonwealth  on  the 
Western  shores  of  North  America,  is  the  logical  out- 
growth and  product  of  the  American  settlement  that  pre- 
ceded it. 

The  interest  of  the  Indians  in  the  mission  at  Waiiletpu 
had  been  declining  for  some  time.  A  spirit  of  dissatis- 
faction and  unrest  was  manifesting  itself  among  them. 
The  American  Board  had  decided  to  close  the  mission 
at  that  point.  Dr.  Whitman  felt  that  something  muet 
be  done  immediately  to  strengthen  his  work  with  the 
Indians  and  also  with  the  American  Board. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     239 

It  was  this  feeling  that  prompted  him  to  make  his 
memorable  midwinter  jonrney.  lie  hoped  to  forestall, 
if  possible,  the  decision  that  had  been  reached  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1842,  to  close  the  mission  at  Waiiletpn. 

Dr.  Whitman  was  opposed  to  this  action,  and  de- 
termined to  put  forth  every  effort  in  his  power  to  pre- 
vent it,  and  resolved  to  visit  the  East  immediately  and 
try  to  satisfy  the  Board  of  the  importance  of  changing 
their  decision, 

A  meeting  of  missionaries  was  called  at  Waiiletpu 
about  the  first  of  September  to  consider  the  proposed 
journey  of  Dr.  Whitman.  Messrs.  Whitman,  Walker, 
Eells,  Spalding,  and  Gray  were  present.  Mr.  Eells,  in 
giving  an  account  of  the  meeting,  says:  "Mr.  Walker 
and  myself  were  decidedly  opposed,  and  we  yielded  only 
when  it  became  evident  that  he  would  go." 

Thus,  under  protest,  they  withdrew  their  opposition 
and  voted  to  approve  of  his  attempt  to  make  the  journey, 
because  the  sanction  of  the  mission  was  necessary,  in 
order  to  make  an  effective  appeal  to  the  Board  in  behalf 
of  their  mission  work. 

The  reason  for  holding  the  meeting  herein  referred 
to  and  for  Dr.  Whitman's  haste  to  go  East,  was  this: 
the  Prudential  Committee  of  the  American  Board  passed 
the  following  resolutions  relative  to  its  Oregon  mission 
stations,  February  23,  1842: 

That  the  Rev.  Henry  H.  Spalding  is  recalled,  with  in- 
structions to  return  by  the  first  direct  and  suitable  opportunity, 
that  Mr.  William  H.  Gray  be  advised  to  return  home,  and  also 
the  Rev.  Asa  B.  Smith,  on  account  of  the  illness  of  his  wife; 
that  Dr.  Marcus  Whitman  and  Mr.  Cornelius  Rogers  be  desig- 
nated to  the  northern  branch  of  the  mission,  and  that  the  two 
last  named  be  authorized  to  dispose  of  the  mission  property  in 
the  southern  branch  of  the  mission. 


240  The  Conquerors 

From  the  records  of  the  Prudential  Committee  of  the 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions, 
as  given  by  Prof.  E.  G.  Bourne,  Professor  of  History  in 
Yale  University,  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  he  is  the 
author  of  "Essays  in  Historical  Criticism,"  one  of  which 
is  entitled  "The  Whitman  Myth." 

We  give  herewith  brief  extracts  from  letters  written 
by  Rev.  Elkanah  Walker  to  the  secretary  of  "The  Ameri- 
can Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions" 
They  present  a  view  of  the  conditions  that  prevailed  in 
the  missions  and  confirm  the  statement  made  in  these 
pages,  that  the  object  of  Dr.  Whitman's  journey  was 
in  the  interest  of  his  mission. 

October  2,  1842. 

I  have  said  in  as  short  a  space  as  I  could  what  I  thought  it 
necessary  to  say  on  the  importance  of  the  mission  and  the 
relative  importance  of  the  two  branches,  and  I  think  any  one 
acquainted  with  the  country  and  the  location  of  the  stations 
would  admit  it  as  correct,  what  has  been  said  comparing  the 
two  branches.  With  this  view  of  the  case,  you  will  be  able  to 
understand  why  we  are  so  unwilling  to  abandon  that  part  of 
the  mission. 

We  did  think  the  design  of  your  letter  had  been  accom- 
plished by  the  reconciliation  which  had  taken  place. 

It  was  a  trying  time  to  us.  We  knew  not  what  course  to 
take,  but  concluded  it  was  best  to  wait  until  we  had  an  answer 
from  you  to  the  letter  sent  by  the  committee  stating  that  the 
difficulties  were  all  settled. 

We  found,  too,  that  there  was  a  difficulty  in  sustaining  this 
mission. 

In  this  state  of  things,  a  proposition  was  made  by  Dr. 
Whitman  and  supported  by  Mr.  Spalding  for  him  to  return 
to  the  States  this  winter  and  confer  with  the  committee,  and 
conduct  a  reinforcement  out  next  sununer.  The  proposition  was 
made  to  Mr.  Eells  and  myself  just  as  we  were  on  the  eve  of 
leaving  to  return  to  our  place.  We  felt  that  we  could  not  then 
decide   upon   it,   that   we   wanted   time   to   think   and   pray  over 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     241 

the  subject.  We  proposed  to  return  and  give  the  subject  our 
serious  consideration,  and  write  them  our  views,  and  were  told 
that  would  be  too  late,  as  no  time  could  be  lost.  After  more 
conversation,  and  feeling  that  something  must  be  done,  we  came 
to  the  conclusion  tliat  if  Dr.  Whitman  could  put  his  station 
in  such  a  situation  that  it  would  be  safe  to  leave  it,  and  make 
proper  arrangements,  we  would  consent  to  his  going.  We  do 
not  approve  of  the  manner  in  which  the  question  was  decided, 
and  nothing,  as  it  seemed  to  us,  but  stern  necessity  led  us  to 
decide  as  we  did.  It  seemed  like  death  to  put  the  proposition 
in  force,  and  death  to  remain  in  the  state  in  which  the  mis- 
sion was.    .    .    . 

January  23,  1843. — You  could  be  no  more  surprised  than 
we  were,  that  he  (Dr.  Whitman)  should  go  without  the  letters. 
.  .  .  We  were  punctual,  unless  one  day  in  advance  of  the 
time  specified  should  be  considered  sufficient  to  destroy  our 
punctuality.     .    .     . 

I  regret  that  my  letter  did  not  go  by  the  Doctor,  as  I 
think  the  information  it  contains  would  be  of  service  to  the 
committee,  and  it  would  second,  perhaps,  the  exertions  of  Dr. 
Whitman  in  inducing  the  committee  to  send  a  reinforcement 
to  this  field,  or  take  some  other  measures  in  regard  to  it. 
— Prom  the  manuscripts  of  Rev.  Elkanah  Walker,  as  given  by 
Prof.  U.  G.  Botirne. 

It  would  be  qttite  impossible  for  any  truth  to  be  ex- 
pressed more  forcibly  and  clearly  than  are  the  following 
facts  in  the  letters  of  Rev.  Mr.  Walker. 

I  St.  That  the  conditions  that  prevailed  in  the  work 
were  discouraging  to  an  extent  that  involved  the  exist- 
ence of  the  inission  itself. 

2d.  That  the  object  of  Dr.  Whitinan's  journey  was 
to  improve  them,  and  thus,  if  possible,  preserve  and 
strengthen  his  mission. 

3d.  That  there  is  not  the  slightest  hint  expressed  or 
iinplied  that  this  journey  possessed  any  political  signifi- 
cance. 

16 


242  The  Conquerors 

Hon.  H.  W.  Scott,  editor  of  the  Oregonian,  Portland, 
Oregon,  in  the  issue  of  September  3,  1902,  says  of  a  book 
recently  written  by  Prof.  Wm.  I.  Marshal,  of  Chicago: 

It  is  a  review  of  the  Oregon  question,  with  positive  proof 
that  the  assumption  that  the  Tyler  administration  was  indif- 
ferent to  Oregon  was  unfounded,  and  that  Dr.  Whitman  could 
have  exerted  no  influence  to  change  the  policy  of  the  National 
Government  toward  Oregon,  and  that  Dr.  Whitman's  relation 
to  the  great  migration  of  1843  was  slight  and  practically  un- 
important. 

Great  service  is  done  to  the  truth  of  history  by  this  review. 
It  is  devotion  to  truth,  not  hostility  to  the  memory  of  Whitman, 
that  prompts  the  effort  to  clear  this  subject  of  its  modern 
accretions  of  myth  and  fable. 

In  the  extensiveness  of  his  knowledge  of  the  early 
history  of  Oregon,  Mr.  Scott  occupies  a  pre-eminent  place 
among  the  journalists  of  the  United  States. 

Dr.  Whitman  did  a  great  and  good  work.  It  is,  how- 
ever, a  colossal  perversion  of  the  facts  of  history  to  say 
that  his  visit  to  the  Atlantic  coast  in  the  spring  of  1843 
had  a  determining  effect  in  securing  American  supremacy 
in  Oregon. 

That  Dr.  Whitman's  journey  was  made  in  the  interest 
of  his  mission  work,  and  not,  as  has  been  claimed,  to 
save  Oregon,  is  evident  from  the  facts  just  given  and 
also  from  other  evidence  of  a  contemporaneous  character. 

But  a  few  days  previous  to  his  going  East  he  had 
seen  and  conversed  with  Dr.  Elijah  White  and  his  com- 
panions, who  were  passing  through  the  country  where 
Dr.  Whitman's  mission  was  situated,  on  their  way  to 
the  American  mission  settlement  in  the  Willamette 
Valley. 

Dr.  White  was  guiding  a  company  of  emigrants,  num- 
bering about  one  huntlrcd  and  thirty  persons  (adults  and 
children),  across  the  continent. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     243 

The  coming  of  this  band  of  American  home  builders 
was  evidence  in  itself  how  the  Oregon  question  would 
be  settled. 

Whatever  of  doubt  may  have  hitherto  existed  in  re- 
gard to  the  growth  of  Jason  Lee's  missionary  settlement 
and  the  triumph  of  the  American  contention  through 
the  instrumentality  of  his  mission  and  work,  that  doubt 
was  dispelled  by  the  coming  of  this  body  of  men,  by  the 
promise  their  presence  gave  of  the  larger  numbers  to 
follow  in  the  reinforcement  of  this  mission  settlement, 
and  by  the  action  of  the  Government  in  sending  a  man 
to  pilot  them  across  the  continent. 

The  appointment  of  Dr.  White  as  an  officer  of  the 
Government  to  the  people  in  the  mission  settlement  was 
unmistakable  proof,  that  even  a  child  could  have  under- 
stood, that  the  Government  was  not  only  interested  in 
the  Oregon  question  but  was  putting  forth  effort  to  se- 
cure its  solution,  and  was  seeking  to  enforce  and  make 
good  its  oft  repeated  claim  to  the  ownership  of  the  Ore- 
gon country. 

With  this  object  lesson  before  him,  and  fully  cog- 
nizant of  these  facts  that  were  big  with  meaning,  Dr. 
Whitman  went  East,  not  to  save  Oregon,  but  to  save  his 
mission ;  for  in  the  face  of  facts  like  these  it  is  impos- 
sible to  conclude  that  Dr.  Whitman  believed  that  Oregon 
was  about  to  be  lost  to  the  United  States.  How  any 
person  then  or  now  could  believe  this,  with  such  a  vast 
amount  of  incontrovertible  evidence  against  it,  and  with- 
out a  shadow  of  proof  in  its  favor,  is  unaccountable. 
The  appointment  of  Dr.  White  possessed  great  sig- 
nificance. 

It  gave  substantial  aid  to  the  emigrants  referred  to. 
Needed  encouragement  was  given  to  the  American  mis- 


244  The  Conquerors 

sionaries  in  Oregon.  The  promises  of  assistance  made 
to  Jason  Lee  were  being  fulfilled.  The  emigration  move- 
ment in  Illinois,  inaugurated  by  Mr.  Lee  in  1838,  was 
greatly  strengthened,  and  increased  vitality  was  given  to 
the  Oregon  sentiment  and  movement  throughout  the 
United  States  among  the  multitudes  of  people  who  were 
intensely  interested  in  securing  an  American  solution 
of  the  Oregon  question. 

This  action  gave  prima  facie  evidence  to  England 
and  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  that  the  United  States 
Government  would  maintain  its  claim  to  Oregon. 

And  these  were  the  lessons  that  the  Government  de- 
sired to  teach  by  this  transaction,  and  the  chief  reason 
for  making  the  appointment.  But  for  its  intended  effect 
in  the  directions  herein  referred  to,  it  is  probable  that 
it  would  not  have  been  made. 

This  appointment  was  well  timed,  and  intentionally 
so;  it  occurred  just  as  the  missionary  colonists  were 
coming  into  a  position  from  which  they  could  control 
the  situation  and  secure  American  supremacy  in  Oregon ; 
when  the  emigration  movement  in  Illinois  (begun 
by  Jason  Lee  in  1838)  was  reaching  a  point  of  effective- 
ness that  would  make  certain  the  American  occupancy 
and  control  of  the  Oregon  country  and  insure  an  Ameri- 
can settlement  of  the  Oregon  question  in  the  near  future, 
in  spite  of  all  the  opposition  that  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany could  bring  against  it ;  when  the  Oregon  sentiment 
created  throughout  the  United  States  by  the  addresses  and 
work  of  Jason  Lee  was  reaching  a  climax  of  influence 
and  prestige  that  was  general,  enthusiastic,  and  irre- 
sistible. 

For  this  time  and  for  this  opportunity  the  United 
States    Government    and    the    friends    of    Oregon    had 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     245 

worked,  watched,  and  waited  since  1834,  with  increasing 
interest  as  the  years  went  by. 

There  was  not  a  phase  of  the  Oregon  question  but 
that  the  Government  understood  thoroughly,  and  at  this 
time,  above  any  that  had  preceded  it,  was  the  opportune 
period  for  the  officers  of  the  Government  to  give  a  clear 
and  well  defined  announcement  of  their  purpose  in  re- 
gard to  the  Oregon  question,  and  it  was  done  in  this 
appointment. 

In  taking  this  action  it  was  important  to  avoid  giving 
Great  Britain  unnecessary  cause  for  bringing  against  the 
Government  of  the  United  States  the  accusation  that 
it  had  violated  and  broken  the  terms  of  the  joint  occu- 
pancy treaty. 

This  was  the  most  effective  as  well  as  the  mildest 
form  of  action  (in  a  diplomatic  sense)  by  which  the 
purpose  of  the  Government  could  have  been  reaffirmed 
at  this  critical  period. 

The  appointment  of  Dr.  White  was  one  of  the  im- 
portant acts  in  the  closing  scenes  of  the  dual  occupancy 
of  Oregon. 

It  was  a  notice  to  the  world  that  the  United  States 
Government  was  about  to  take  possession  of  the  country. 
This  action  was  official  and  authoritative,  and  it  will  be 
observed  that  it  occurred  previous  to  Dr.  Whitman's 
journey  East  and  that  he  was  cognizant  of  the  facts  in 
the  case. 

Dr.  White  had  come  direct  to  Oregon  from  Wash- 
ington, making  a  brief  stop  on  the  way  at  Jason  Lee's 
emigration  camp  in  Illinois. 

He  was  the  bearer  of  important  information  from 
the  Government  to  the  American  colony  in  the  Wil- 
lamette Valley.     He  called  them  together  and  delivered 


246  The  Conquerors 

to  them  the  assurances  of  good  faith  that  the  Govern- 
ment had  committed  to  his  care,  after  which  the  follow- 
ing resolution  was  adopted  by  the  people : 

Resolved,  That  we  are  exceedingly  happy  in  the  considera- 
tion that  the  Government  of  the  United  States  has  manifested 
its  intention,  through  its  agent,  Dr.  White,  of  extending  its 
jurisdiction  and  protection  over  this  country. 

Jason  Lee  had  a  very  important  correspondence  with 
Hon.  Caleb  Gushing,  touching  the  value  of  the  Oregon 
country  and  the  appointment  of  a  man  to  act  as  gover- 
nor of  it.  A  part  of  this  letter  is  given  elsewhere  in 
these  pages.  There  is  no  dotibt  but  that  this  Indian 
agency  was  established  as  a  result  of  the  efifort  of  Jason 
Lee.  Though  the  Government  acted  conservatively  and 
did  not  establish  the  office  of  governor,  it  found  a  way 
to  give  prestige  and  strength  to  the  claim  of  the  United 
States  and  recognition  to  the  request  of  Jason  Lee  by 
appointing  a  man  to  an  official  position  in  the  Oregon 
country. 

The  appointment  of  Dr.  White  and  making  him 
the  bearer  of  important  messages  to  the  American  col- 
onists clearly  indicated  the  purpose  of  the  Government 
in  regard  to  Oregon. 

After  Dr.  Whitman's  interview  with  Dr.  White  and 
his  company,  ignorance  on  his  part  about  the  encotirage- 
ment  the  Government  was  giving  to  the  emigration  move- 
ment, abotit  the  great  awakening  throughout  the  country 
in  behalf  of  Oregon,  about  the  determination  of  the 
Government  to  make  good  its  claim  to  the  ownership 
and  control  of  the  Oregon  country,  was  absolutely  im- 
possible, for  the  events  and  facts  herewith  referred  to 
pointed  with  irresistible  force  and  definiteness  to  but  one 
conclusion;  viz.,  that  the  United  States,  having  assisted 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     247 

in  the  formation  and  strengthening  of  this  American 
mission  settlement,  having  appointed  a  man  to  make  rep- 
resentations to  the  colonists  of  the  purpose  of  the  Gov- 
ernment, and  also  (in  a  limited  sense)  to  represent  the 
Government  in  the  conduct  of  Oregon  affairs,  any  other 
conclusion  than  that  the  Oregon  question  was  in  the  last 
stages  of  its  solution  was  unqualifiedly  impossible. 

Dr.  Whitman's  desire  and  haste  to  go  East  was  in- 
tensified by  the  coming  of  these  men.  They  made  known 
the  conditions  that  prevailed  east  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains touching  the  Oregon  question. 

He  could  not  have  failed  to  see  in  this  the  speedy 
realization  of  the  hopes  of  the  friends  of  Oregon  in  the 
early  occupancy  and  control  of  the  country. 

He  desired  that  his  mission  at  Waiiletpu,  situated  as 
it  was  on  the  emigrant  trail,  should  not  be  closed,  in 
order  that  the  missionaries  of  the  American  Board  might 
be  able  to  render  some  assistance  to  the  oncoming  emi- 
grants. 

He  also  must  have  believed  that  the  emigration  move- 
ment, so  auspiciously  begun,  would  strengthen  his  argu- 
ment before  the  American  Board  for  the  continuance 
of  the  mission,  and  he  desired  to  bring  these  facts  to 
bear  upon  the  case  before  it  was  too  late. 

While  Dr.  Whitman  was  absent  in  the  East,  Mrs. 
Whitman  lived  most  of  the  time  at  the  Methodist  Mis- 
sion at  The  Dalles,  with  the  family  of  the  Rev.  Daniel 
Lee.  In  the  daily  interchange  of  conversation  with  the 
family,  with  whom  she  enjoyed  the  closest  friendship, 
not  a  word  did  she  utter,  covering  a  period  of  several 
months,  that  would  indicate  that  the  purpose  of  her 
husband's  journey  was  to  save  Oregon.  She  spoke  of 
the  discouraging  conditions  that  prevailed  in  the  mission 
at  Waiiletpu,  and  expressed  the  hope  that  the  doctor's 


248  The  Conquerors 

visit  would  result  in  changing  the  decision  of  the  Board 
and  in  giving  new  life  to  the  mission,  but  never  intimated 
that  he  had  gone  East  for  any  other  purpose  than  to 
secure  help  for  his  mission  and  deliverance  from  the 
destruction  that  threatened  it. 

An  Important  State M:eNT. 

Rev.  William  H.  Lee,  of  Colorado  Springs,  Colorado, 
son  of  Rev.  Daniel  Lee,  says: 

I  have  frequently  heard  my  father  and  mother  speak  of 
Dr.  Whitman's  visit  East,  and  that  its  object  was  to  secure 
help  to  strengthen  his  mission  work.  They  did  not  understand 
nor  was  it  ever  intimated  to  them  that  his  journey  had  in  it 
any  other  purpose. 

Mrs.  Whitman  remained  at  my  father's  house  at  The  Dalles 
from  October,  1842,  to  April,  1843.  She  never  stated  that  he 
had  made  the  trip  for  any  other  reason  than  to  save  his  mission. 

She  manifested  much  solicitude  about  the  mission  and  the 
result  of  the  doctor's  perilous  journey,  and  often  expressed  the 
hope  that  he  might  be  able  to  bring  new  life  into  their  mission 
work. 

My  parents  never  heard  it  hinted  that  the  journey  possessed 
any  political  significance  until  just  previous  to  their  death. 

Wm.  H.  Lsr. 

In  addition  to  this,  during  Dr.  Whitman's  absence, 
Mrs.  Whitman  wrote  letters  to  friends  in  the  East.  In 
not  one  of  them  (so  far  as  known)  did  she  intimate  that 
any  political  importance  attached  to  the  doctor's  journey. 

Prof.  E.  G.  Bourne  says: 

September  29,  1842,  she  wrote  to  her  brother  and  sister,  and 
the  next  day  wrote  to  her  parents,  and  committed  these  letters 
to  the  care  of  her  husband  to  convey  to  her  relatives.  On  the 
4th  of  March,  1843,  at  Wascopam  (The  Dalles),  she  wrote 
to  Dr.  Whitman. 

If  Mrs.  Whitman  had  known  that  the  object  of  her 
husband  in  going  East  was  to  save  Oregon,  as  claimed, 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     240 

she  certainly  would  have  said  or  written  something 
about  it. 

If  clouds  surcharged  with  danger  and  death  to  the 
American  cause  were  gathering  about  Oregon's  natal 
skies,  as  claimed,  and  Dr.  Whitman  foresaw  the  ap- 
proaching calamity,  he  certainly  would  have  intimated 
it  to  his  wife,  to  Dr.  White,  or  to  some  one  with  whom 
he  conversed  about  Oregon  affairs,  on  the  eve  of  his 
departure  for  the  Eastern  coast. 

If,  as  alleged,  signs  of  danger  were  manifesting  them- 
selves along  the  line  of  Oregon's  political  horizon  that 
threatened  American  interests  on  the  Pacific  coast  with 
destruction,  others  as  well  as  Dr.  Whitman  would  cer- 
tainly have  seen  them. 

The  friends  of  Oregon  in  large  numbers.  East,  West, 
North,  and  South,  were  doing  heroic  work  within  the 
skirmish  and  battle  lines  of  this  great  conflict.  In  view 
of  these  facts  it  is  strange  that  it  should  be  claimed  and 
believed  that  Dr.  Whitman,  and  he  only  and  alone  of 
this  great  number,  was  able  to  discover  the  danger  that, 
it  is  alleged,  was  menacing  the  American  cause  in 
Oregon. 

If  Dr.  Whitman  claimed  that  Oregon  was  likely  to 
be  "lost  to  the  United  States,"  he  was  laboring  under 
a  strange  hallucination ;  and  if,  in  addition  to  this,  he 
claimed  that  he  "saved  Oregon,"  he  gave  expression  to 
an  error  of  colossal  proportions. 

We  affirm  the  belief  that  he  never  uttered  these  words, 
and  never  made  this  claim,  and  was  in  no  way  responsible 
for  the  amazing  distortion  of  the  facts  in  the  case. 

The  claim  that  Dr.  Whitman  went  East  to  save  Ore- 
gon is  based  upon  the  assumption — 

I  St.  That  Oregon  was  in  immediate  danger  of  be- 
ing lost. 


250  The  Conquerors 

2d.  That  the  President  and  the  officers  of  the  United 
States  Government  were  ignorant  of  the  danger  referred 
to,  and  indifferent  to  American  interests  in  Oregon. 

3d.  That  the  object  of  Dr.  Whitman's  visit  East  was 
to  enhghten  them  and  awaken  them  from  their  indif- 
ference and  induce  the  Government  and  the  people  of 
the  United  States  to  take  immediate  action  in  behalf  of 
Oregon,  and,  having  succeeded  in  this,  he  saved  Oregon. 

4th.  Such  is  the  claim,  and  it  is  not  only  wholly  and 
absolutely  untrue,  but  it  is  an  afterthought;  it  is  not 
a  part  of  the  contemporaneous  history  of  that  period. 

5th.  The  truth  is,  there  were  thousands  of  people 
in  the  United  States  who  knew  vastly  more  about  the 
political  aspects  of  the  Oregon  question  than  did  Dr. 
Whitman. 

6th.  The  truth  also  is.  Dr.  Whitman  did  not  have 
in  his  possession  information  of  importance  touching  the 
Oregon  question  that  was  not  already  known  to  others. 

7th.  It  is  also  true  that  the  alleged  marvelous  effects 
of  Dr.  Whitman's  journey  across  the  continent  in  the 
winter  of  1842  and  1843,  whereby  it  is  claimed  that 
Oregon  was  saved  to  the  United  States,  is  a  myth  pure 
and  simple. 

8th.  There  was  not  the  slightest  danger  of  the  sud- 
den and  unheralded  incoming  of  large  numbers  of  people 
from  the  islands  of  the  sea,  from  Canada,  Great  Britain, 
or  from  any  other  part  of  the  world,  that  would  offset 
the  larger  number  of  people  whose  feet  Jason  Lee  had 
turned  toward  Oregon.  The  advance  columns  of  this 
oncoming  host  reached  the  Pacific  coast  previous  to  Dr. 
Whitman's  midwinter  journey  across  the  continent. 

9th.  The  Government  and  the  people  of  the  United 
States  at  this  date,  the  spring  of  1843,  had  secured 
through  the  settlement  made  and  the  work  done  by  Jason 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     251 

Lee,  and  the  sentiment  he  had  created,  such  a  grip  upon 
Oregon  that  this  sentiment  and  work  could  not  be 
checked.  It  made  the  dislodgmcnt  of  his  American  col- 
ony practically  impossible.  At  that  time,  as  the  facts  in 
the  case  and  subsequent  events  clearly  prove,  the  Amer- 
ican colonists,  under  the  leadership  of  Jason  Lee,  were 
standing  upon  the  threshold  of  victory.  In  point  of  time 
and  in  point  of  fact  they  were  within  sight  of  the  goal 
and  their  efforts  were  about  to  culminate  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Provisional  Government. 

This  notable  event,  which  occurred  July  5,  1843,  was 
but  the  realization  of  that  which,  a  few  months  before, 
when  Dr.  Whitman  began  his  journey  east,  was  as  cer- 
tain to  come  as  is  the  light  when  the  gates  of  the  morn- 
ning  are  opened,  and  the  visit  of  Dr.  Whitman  to  Wash- 
ington had  no  effect  whatever  either  in  hastening  this 
result  or  making  it  more  certain,  for  the  reason  that  the 
plans  and  the  work  that  secured  American  supremacy 
in  Oregon  were  in  the  last  stages  of  their  accomplishment 
when  this  visit  was  made,  and  forty  journeys  across  the 
continent  and  a  like  number  of  interviews  with  the 
President  by  Dr.  Whitman  or  any  other  man  could  not 
have  changed  the  attitude  or  strengthened  the  action  of 
the  Government  in  its  relation  to  the  Oregon  question. 
It  could  not  quicken  the  pace  with  which  events  were 
hastening  to  their  culmination. 

Mr.  Lee  had  written  his  views  of  the  value  of  the 
Oregon  country  and  the  rightfulness  of  the  claim  of  the 
United  States  to  it  so  deeply  in  the  convictions  of  the 
American  people,  he  had  planned  so  wisely,  wrought  so 
effectively,  and  the  hour  of  victory  was  so  near  and  so 
certain,  that  no  visits  to  Washington  were  necessary  to 
secure  the  triumph  of  the  American  contention,  nor  to 


252  The  Conquerors 

stimuiate  the  purpose  of  the  people  or  of  the  Government 
in  asserting  and  maintaining  the  claim  of  the  United 
States  to  the  Oregon  country. 

Dr.  Whitman  succeeded  in  saving  his  mission  by  se- 
curing a  stay  of  proceedings  in  the  matter  of  closing 
his  work  at  Waiiletpu,  and  he  was  greatly  assisted,  no 
doubt,  in  obtaining  this  concession  by  the  coming  to  the 
coast  of  the  emigration  of  1842.  The  Oregon  sentiment 
aroused  by  Jason  Lee  had  taken  such  a  strong  hold  upon 
the  country  that  the  American  Board  could  not  have 
failed  to  see  that  in  a  very  short  time  the  Oregon  ques- 
tion would  be  settled  by  the  incoming  of  hundreds,  and 
even  thousands,  of  American  colonists.  It  would  have 
been  strange  indeed  if  the  Board  had  not  shared  with 
Dr.  Whitman  in  the  desire  that  the  mission  they  had 
established  at  this  place  should  remain  open  and  be  in 
a  position  to  aid  the  emigrants  as  they  passed  through 
the  country  on  their  way  to  the  Willamette  Valley.  We 
believe  that  to  this  fact  is  due  the  decision  of  the  Board 
to  rescind  the  order  for  the  closing  of  the  mission  sta- 
tion at  Waiiletpu. 

The  truth  is,  the  work  of  the  mission  among  the 
Cayuse  Indians  was  practically  at  an  end  in  the  fall 
of  1842,  and  never  after  was  it  able  to  rehabilitate  itself 
or  come  in  close  touch  with  the  masses  of  the  Indian 
population  of  that  region. 

The  truth  also  is,  after  this  date  the  threatening  atti- 
tude of  the  Indians  toward  the  missionaries  at  this  sta- 
tion was  such  that  their  safety  was  imperiled  and  Dr. 
Whitman  was  repeatedly  warned  of  the  danger  that 
finally  culminated  in  his  death  and  in  the  abandonment 
of  the  mission. 

The  following  summary  of  facts  is  worthy  of  note: 

ist.  The  object  of  Dr.  Whitman's  visit  East  in  the 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Cowntnj     253 

fall  of  1842  was  to  save  his  mission.  The  facts  in  the 
case  clearly  prove  this. 

2(1.  This  journey  has  been  invested  with  a  National 
significance  that  docs  not  and  never  did  belong  to  it. 

3d.  The  claims  of  the  author,  or  authors,  of  the 
"Whitman  Saved  Oregon"  story  are  absurd  and  untrue. 

1st.  As  we  have  seen,  it  is  not  true,  as  claimed,  that 
in  1842  Oregon  was  in  danger  of  being  lost.  This  danger 
assumed  alarming  proportions  from  1821  to  1834,  during 
which  time  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  had  possession 
of  the  trade  of  the  country.  They  occupied  Oregon  and 
claimed  ownership  of  it. 

In  the  fall  of  1834  American  community  life  was 
planted  in  Oregon  in  an  organized  and  effective  form. 
It  continued  to  expand  and  intrench  itself  for  a  period 
of  about  eight  years  and  nine  months,  or  until  the  summer 
of  1843,  when  it  was  able  to  assume  and  ever  after  main- 
tain a  controlling  influence  in  the  Oregon  country. 

2d.  It  is  not  true,  as  claimed,  that  Oregon  was  in  the 
market  for  sale  or  barter.  This  phase  of  the  case  was 
mere  political  gossip.     It  never  amounted  to  anything. 

After  the  second  "great  missionary  tour"  of  Rev. 
Jason  Lee,  in  1838  and  1839,  an  officer  of  the  Govern- 
ment who  would  have  favored  bartering  Oregon  away 
would  by  that  act  have  signed  his  own  political  death  war- 
rant and  committed  official  suicide. 

No  action  was  ever  taken  by  the  Government  of  the 
United  States  that  involved  the  sale  or  barter  of  the 
American  claim  to  the  Oregon  country. 

Whatever  of  talk  there  may  have  been  in  regard  to 
it  was  trivial,  incidental,  not  official,  and  very  unpopular. 

There  were  those,  doubtless,  who  claimed  that  Oregon 
was  of  little  worth,  but  they  were  comparatively  few  in 
number,  and  some  of  these,  in  the  early  stages  of  the 


254  The  Conquerors 

agitation  of  the  Oregon  question,  after  hearing  the  elo- 
quent appeals  of  Jason  Lee  and  his  matchless  descriptions 
of  the  Orgon  country,  experienced  a  wonderful  change 
of  heart  and  became  earnest  and  enthusiastic  friends  of 
Oregon. 

3d.  It  is  not  true,  as  claimed,  that  the  President  or 
the  officers  of  the  Government  were  indifferent  to  or 
ignorant  of  Oregon  affairs,  or  that  there  was  some  hid- 
den danger  of  colossal  proportions  of  ghostlike  appear- 
ance and  hideous  mien  lurking  behind  the  scenes,  waiting 
to  swoop  down  upon  Oregon  and  bear  her  away  to  the 
camp  of  the  Philistines,  and  that  an  interview  had  by  Dr. 
Whitman  with  the  President  and  his  Secretary  of  State 
dispelled  their  ignorance  and  removed  the  danger  by 
driving  the  ghost  away. 

In  his  effort  to  frighten  others,  the  big  spook  him- 
self must  have  been  scared  to  death,  for  it  is  claimed  that 
he  never  came  back  and  has  not  been  seen  since.  This 
was  hard  on  the  ghost,  but  his  coming  or  his  going  out 
into  the  darkness,  to  be  seen  never  more,  did  not  in  the 
slightest  degree  affect  the  American  status  of  Oregon. 

No  claim  or  statement  was  ever  made  that  is  more 
completely  at  variance  with  the  facts  in  the  case  than  is 
the  "Whitman  Saved  Oregon"  story,  and  no  wonder,  for 
it  is  based  upon  conditions  that  did  not  exist. 

The  marvel  is,  how  such  a  statement  could  be  made, 
and,  having  been  made,  how  any  sane  person  in  any  way 
cognizant  of  the  facts  in  the  case  could  believe  it. 

That  the  officers  of  the  Government  should  be  igno- 
rant of,  or  indifferent  to,  the  important  matters  of  State 
committed  to  their  care  and  with  which  they  were  brought 
in  direct  personal  contact  in  the  cvcry-day  work  of  their 
lives,  and  upon  the  skillful  handling  of  which  the  suc- 
cess of  their  official  labors  depended,  is  inconceivable. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Countrij     255 

Their  duties  involved  mucli  dij)1oinatic  correspondence 
and  demanded  the  widest  information  possible.  The 
agitation  and  the  publicity  that  was  being  given  to  the 
Oregon  question  was  molding  the  political  sentiment  of 
the  people  of  the  United  States  and  was  also  shaping 
the  political  destiny  of  Oregon.  Under  these  circum- 
stances it  was  absolutely  impossible  for  them  to  be  ig- 
norant of  the  facts  involved. 

Many  of  these  officers  had  previous  to  Dr.  Whitman's 
visit  to  Washington  thoroughly  committed  themselves 
to  a  line  of  action  for  the  Americanizing  of  Oregon,  and 
were  rendering  effective  service  in  the  work  that  was 
rapidly  bringing  American  supremacy  to  Jason  Lee's 
mission  settlement. 

The  truth  is,  this  subject  had  come  to  be  invested 
with  such  political  importance  and  popular  favor  that 
no  officer  of  the  Government  could  afford  to  ignore  it  or 
could  be  ignorant  of  any  phase  of  the  claim  of  the 
United  States  to  the  Oregon  country. 

4th.  It  is  not  true,  as  claimed,  that  Dr.  Whitman  was 
responsible  for  the  emigration  that  did  so  much  to  people 
Oregon.     (See  chapter  on  Emigration  in  this  book.) 

The  name  and  deeds  of  Dr.  Whitman  are  worthy  of 
an  honored  place  in  the  history  of  this  Pacific  coast 
country. 

The  effect  of  his  work,  however,  in  Americanizing 
Oregon  is  not  what  it  has  been  claimed  to  be.  Through 
no  fault  of  his,  many  misrepresentations  of  the  facts  in 
the  case  have  been  made  as  to  the  causes  that  led  up  to 
the  colonization  of  Oregon,  the  persons  who  were  chiefly 
responsible  for  it,  and  the  events  that  contributed  most 
to  securing  American  supremacy  in  this  Pacific  coast 
country,  and  because  of  this  many  erroneous  opinions 
prevail. 


256  The  Conquerors 

Dr.  Whitman  rendered  very  effective  and  timely 
service  in  guiding  the  emigrants  of  1843  a  part  of  the 
way  to  the  place  of  their  destination  in  Oregon.  Their 
arrival  subsequent  to  the  establishment  of  the  Provi- 
sional Government  precluded  the  possibility  of  their  par- 
ticipation in  the  work  of  its  formation.  Their  coming 
strengthened  the  action  that  had  been  previously  taken, 
and  this  only. 

The  relation  of  the  people  of  the  United  States  to 
the  Oregon  question  was  not  that  of  ignorance  and  in- 
difference, and,  as  we  have  shown,  the  claim  of  the  United 
States  to  the  Oregon  country  or  to  any  part  thereof  was 
never  in  the  shadow  of  the  auction  block,  as  has  been 
claimed  and  as  many  have  believed.  And  after  the 
events  of  1838,  '39,  and  '40,  there  was  not  the  slightest 
possibility,  either  actual  or  implied,  that  Oregon,  espe- 
cially that  part  of  it  south  of  the  49th  parallel,  would 
continue  long  under  the  dominance  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company;  with  a  strong  American  settlement  already 
established,  the  citizens  of  which  were  formulating  plans 
for  the  organization  of  a  Provisional  Government;  with 
many  on  the  way  to  Oregon  to  reinforce  this  settlement, 
while  yet  larger  numbers  were  preparing  to  go  to  Oregon. 

With  the  coming  of  this  host  of  home  builders,  backed 
by  the  settled  and  determined  purpose  of  the  people  of 
the  United  States  that  Oregon  should  be  a  part  of  their 
National  domain,  made  the  American  contention  in- 
vincible and  overwhelmingly  certain  of  realization  in  the 
near  future.  And,  strange  to  say,  these  were  the  exact 
conditions  that  prevailed  in  the  fall  of  1842  and  the 
spring  of  1843,  when,  it  is  claimed,  the  American  cause 
in  Oregon  was  on  the  verge  of  collapse. 

The  facts  given  in  these  pages  show  clearly  that  the 
claim  made  that  Dr.  Whitman  saved  Oregon  was  ab- 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     257 

solutely  impossible,  for  the  reason  that  Oregon  was  not 
in  danger  of  being  lost,  the  President  was  not  ignorant 
of  Oregon  affairs,  the  people  of  the  United  States  were 
not  indifferent  to  the  destiny  of  Oregon,  and  this  whole 
matter  was  at  that  time  in  the  last  stages  of  its  solution. 

An  Important  Stat^ment.^ 
Dr.  H.  K.  Hines  says: 

Immediately  after  the  massacre  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Whitman 
and  the  destruction  of  the  mission  at  Waiiletpu,  it  became 
evident  that  an  Indian  war  was  inevitable.  The  Provisional 
Legislature  met  almost  immediately.  Among  the  measures  it 
was  thought  necessary  to  adopt  in  this  distressing  emergency 
was  the  sending  of  a  special  messenger  to  Washington,  giving 
information  of  the  awful  event  and  of  the  defenseless  and  im- 
periled condition  of  the  people. 

There  was  at  that  time  almost  literally  no  money  in  the 
country. 

The  only  avenue  through  which  the  means  necessary  could 
be  secured  was  the  Methodist  mission. 

The  journey  was  a  perilous  one  across  the  continent  in 
winter  on  horseback,  but  a  man  was  ready  to  essay  the  dangerous 
undertaking  if  the  means  to  defray  his  expenses  could  be  pro- 
vided. His  name  was  Joseph  L.  Meek,  and  this  bold  offering 
of  himself  as  a  messenger  in  this  momentous  crisis,  if  he  had 
done  no  other  act,  should  place  his  name  among  the  honored 
heroes  of  the  Pacific  Northwest. 

Finding  no  other  means  of  raising  the  amount  required, 
application  was  made  to  Rev.  William  Roberts,  superintendent 
of  the  Oregon  Mission. 

Mr.  Roberts  says: 

During  the  winter  of  1847-48,  the  Legislature  met  to  devise 
means  for  carrying  on  the  war. 

Money  was   needed   to   send   a  messenger   to   Washington. 

The  superintendent  of  the  Methodist  mission  was  applied 
to  for  $1,500  to  aid  in  the  emergency.     Jesse  Applegate   (noble 

1  The  facts  given  in  these  pages  afford  clear  and  abundant  proof  of  the  cor- 
rectness of  the  foregoing  statement  of  Dr.  Hines. 
}7 


258  The  Conquerors 

man  that  he  was!)  was  the  commissioner.  I  furnished  the 
funds.  These  were  trust  funds,  and  there  was  no  security. 
It  took  some  courage  to  handle  the  money,  for  we  lived  largely 
by  faith  in  those  days. 

It  was  not  within  the  power  of  any  other  man  or  men  in 
the  country  to  meet  that  emergency. 

Indeed,  since  the  establishment  of  the  mission,  in  1834,  until 
this  date,  in  1847,  there  had  been  no  organization  possessing 
sufficient  financial  resources  and  influence  to  have  met  the  de- 
mands of  the  case  and  formed  and  held  together  the  moneyless 
emigrants  into  a  community  with  the  elements  of  solidarity 
within  it  except  the  mission  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Advertising  Oregon. 

Prof.  William  I.  Marshall,  principal  of  the  William 
E.  Gladstone  School,  Chicago,  and  member  of  the  Ameri- 
can Historical  Association,  says : 

About  no  other  territorial  acquisition  we  have  ever  made 
had  there  been,  before  its  accomplishment,  anywhere  nearly  so 
much  information  published  by  the  Government.  .  .  .  Con- 
gress had  printed  for  gratuitous  circulation  between  2,500,000 
and  3,000,000  copies  of  five  reports  of  committees  of  the  Senate 
and  House  of  Representatives  on  Oregon,  all  unanimously 
adopted  by  the  vSenate  or  House,  and  all  very  eulogistic  of 
the  value  of  Oregon. 

Its  easy  accessibility  by  wagon  via  the  upper  Missouri 
route,  and  over  Clark's  (or  Gibbon's)  Pass,  had  been  printed 
in  all  the  various  edtions  of  "Lewis  and  Clark's  History  of  Their 
Expedition." — "History  vs.  the  Whitman  Saved  Oregon  Story," 
pages  223  and  224. 

And  by  the  same  author,  on  the  26th  page  of  the  same 
book: 

There  was  also  the  report  of  Captain  Bonneville  to  the 
Secretary  of  War,  in  1835,  reporting  his  success  in  driving 
twenty  loaded  wagons  through  the  South  Pass  over  the  Rocky 
Mountains  and  into  the  Oregon  Territory,  to  Green  River,  in 
1832,  popularized  by  Irvings  Bonneville,  published  in  New  York 
and   also   in   England   in    1837,   and   very   widely   read   in   both 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     259 

countries.  These  committee  reports  were  unanimous  and  all 
of  them  were  enthusiastic  as  to  the  great  value  of  Oregon 
to  us,  and  the  validity  of  our  title  at  least  as  far  north  as 
49°-  ...  As  early  as  1831  the  report  of  the  Military  Com- 
mittee of  the  Senate  contained  the  letter  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tain Fur  Company  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  dated  October 
29,  1830,  stating  that  in  the  preceding  five  years,  with  from 
eighty  to  one  hundred  men  divided  into  small  parties,  they  had 
explored  the  whole  region  beyond  the  Rockies  from  the  Gulf 
of  California  to  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  and  had  made 
discoveries  and  acquired  information  that  they  deemed  important 
to  communicate  to  the  Government.  Then,  after  describing  their 
driving  ten  wagons  loaded  with  from  1,800  to  2,000  pounds  each 
from  St.  Louis  to  the  South  Pass  and  back  to  St.  Louis  between 
April  10  and  October  10,  1830,  they  continue:  "This  is  the 
first  time  wagons  ever  went  over  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  the 
ease  with  which  it  was  done  proves  the  facility  of  communicat- 
ing overland  with  the  Pacific,  the  route  beyond  the  mountains 
to  the  Great  Falls  of  the  Columbia  being  easier  than  on  the 
other  side."  The  Great  Falls  of  the  Columbia  are  not  only 
west  of  the  Blue  Mountains,  but  more  than  one  hundred  miles 
west  of  where  Dr.  Whitman  six  years  later  established  his 
mission. 

And  again,  on  page  27  of  the  same  book,  the  author 
says: 

Before  March  i,  1843,  in  Presidential  messages,  in  instruc- 
tion to  diplomats  negotiating  with  England  and  Russia  about 
Oregon,  in  other  executive  papers,  in  correspondence  and  re- 
ports in  Congress,  and  reports  of  Congressional  Committees, 
the  following  statesmen  are  on  record  as  holding  that  Oregon 
was  of  great  value  to  the  United  States :  The  Presidents, 
viz.,  Jefferson,  Madison,  Monroe,  J.  Q.  Adams,  Jackson,  Van 
Buren,  Tyler,  Polk,  Pierce,  Buchanan.  Also  Calhoun  and  King, 
Vice-Presidents.  Also  Webster,  Clay,  Everett  Forsyth,  Secre- 
taries of  State;  Livingston,  Gallatin,  and  Rush,  Ministers  to 
England.  Also  Middleton,  Gambrcling,  and  IngersoII,  Ministers 
to  Russia;  and  Archer,  Baylies,  Benton,  Berrien,  Lewis  Cass, 
Rufus  Choate,  Caleb  Gushing,  John  J.  Crittenden,  Draj'ton, 
Floyd,    John    Reed    (Mass.),   Taylor    (N.    Y.),   R.   J.    Walker, 


260  The  Conquerors 

Woodburry,  and  many  others,  while  not  a  single  authentic 
sentence  has  ever  been  produced  from  any  man  of  importance 
enough  to  have  been  President  or  Vice-President,  or  Minister 
to  England  or  Russia,  or  Secretary  of  State,  or  a  Senator  for 
as  much  as  one  full  term,  which  expressed  any  doubt  of  our 
title  to  all  of  Oregon  south  of  49°,  or  which  intimated  that  we 
should  surrender  anything  to  Great  Britain  south  of  that  line. 
It  is  true  that  President  Tyler  had,  to  use  his  own  words, 
"A  dream  of  policy  never  embodied,"  about  selling  that  part 
of  the  present  State  of  Washington  north  and  west  of  the 
Columbia  River  to  England,  but  this  wholly  impossible  "dream 
of  policy"  necessarily  implied,  not  surrendering  it,  but  insisting 
on  49°  as  our  line  to  the  coast,  since  England  certainly  would 
not  buy  what  we  did  not  own. 

Mr.  John  Gill,  of  Portland  ,who  has  given  mtich  at- 
tention to  the  facts  embraced  in  the  early  history  of 
Oregon,  says : 

Hall  J.  Kelley,  a  Bostonian,  became  an  active  advocate 
for  the  American  occupation  and  permanent  settlement  of 
Oregon.  Mr.  Kelley  wrote  extensively  in  publications  of  New 
England  upon  this  subject  for  many  years.  He  organized  a 
society  in  Boston,  under  the  name  of  the  American  Society 
for   the   settlement   of   the   Oregon   Territory. 

This  society  sent  to  Congress  a  memorial  urging  that  troops 
be  sent  to  Oregon  for  the  protection  of  their  projected  settle- 
ment and  setting  forth  the  reasons  for  immediate  occupation. 
— From   the  Pacific   Christian   Advocate,  May   17,    1905. 

Facts  About  ORiiGON  Wi^RE;  Published  VivRy  Ex- 
tun  si  vkly. 

The  Methodist  papers  and  the  work  of  Jason  Lee 
made  the  Oregon  qtiestion  not  only  the  most  prominent 
subject  before  the  American  people,  but  they  created  a 
wave  of  patriotic  enthusiasm  in  favor  of  the  American 
ownership  of  Oregon  that  was  irresistible,  and  the  leaders 
of  the  Democratic  party  were  wise  enough  to  see  their 
opportunity  and  improve  it. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     2G1 

A  large  number  of  letters  were  published  in  the 
Christian  Advocate  and  Journal  and  Zion's  Herald,  from 
1833  to  1844,  written  by  the  missionaries  in  Oregon,  bear- 
ing the  signatures  of  Rev.  Jason  Lee,  Rev.  Daniel  Lee, 
Miss  Anna  AL  Pittman,  Rev.  David  Leslie  and  Mrs.  Les- 
lie, Rev.  John  P.  Richmond,  Rev.  A.  F.  Waller,  Dr. 
Elijah  White,  Miss  Margaret  Smith,  Cyrus  Shepard, 
Hon.  Geo.  Abernethy,  the  first  governor  of  Oregon,  and 
others. 

They  embrace  descriptions  of  the  country,  its  scenery, 
its  climate,  the  richness  of  the  soil,  its  productiveness, 
the  largeness  and  variety  of  the  resources  of  Oregon,  and 
its  desirableness  as  a  place  for  permanent  homes ;  the 
mission  work,  the  difficulties  to  which  they  were  subject, 
their  isolation,  and  their  loneliness ;  the  satisfaction  they 
experienced  in  the  conviction  that  they  were  walking  in 
the  path  of  duty ;  their  attachment  to  the  work  in  which 
they  were  engaged,  and  the  belief  they  entertained  that 
their  reward  would  be  certain  and  abundant. 

These  letters,  together  with  a  large  amount  of  other 
matter  touching  the  Oregon  question,  such  as  the  causes 
that  led  to  the  establishment  of  the  mission  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  in  Oregon,  the  provisions  made 
by  the  managers  of  the  Missionary  Society  for  the 
touring  of  the  country  by  Jason  Lee  in  1833  and  1834 
and  in  1838  and  1839,  and  the  announcement  made  in 
the  papers  of  his  appointments  in  the  two  great  mission- 
ary campaigns  he  conducted  in  behalf  of  Oregon  on  the 
Atlantic  coast  and  through  the  West  and  the  Southland. 

The  reports  published  of  his  addresses,  the  money 
raised,  the  publication  of  the  facts  involved  in  the  out- 
fitting of  the  great  missionary  expedition,  all  of  which 
was  brought  to  the  attention  and  laid  upon  the  hearts  of 
the  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the 


262  The  Conquerors 

United  States  and  to  the  notice  of  the  general  pubhc 
through  the  columns  of  these  religious  journals,  the 
weekly  circulation  of  which  was  as  great  or  greater  than 
that  of  any  religious  papers  in  the  United  States. 

Add  to  this  the  weekly  circulation  of  the  religious 
journals  published  by  the  Congregational  and  the  Pres- 
byterian Churches,  which,  beginning  in  1836,  published 
the  accounts  and  descriptions  of  the  mission  work  in 
Oregon  under  the  supervision  of  Drs.  Whitman,  Eells, 
Walker,  and  Spalding,  established  by  the  American  Board 
of  Commissioners.  There  can  be  no  question  but  that 
other  religious  journals,  not  officially  connected  with 
either  of  the  missions  referred  to,  as  a  matter  of  infor- 
mation for  their  patrons  and  encouragement  to  their  own 
missionary  enterprises,  published  frequent  and  extensive 
references  to  the  Oregon  country  and  the  mission  work 
established  there. 

The  knowledge  of  Oregon  thus  brought  to  public 
notice  and  the  general  agitation  of  the  subject  caused 
thereby  was  not  only  of  inestimable  value  in  securing 
American  control  on  the  Pacific  coast,  but  they  were  de- 
termining factors  in  the  settlement  of  the  Oregon 
question. 

In  Sartian's  Union  Magazine,  published  in  Phila- 
delphia beginning  in  the  forties,  are  occasional  references 
to  the  Oregon  country.  In  one  of  the  numbers  there  is 
an  article  entitled,  "The  Golden  Future,  or  Our  Empire 
of  the  West,"  in  which  the  writer  refers  to  the  Lewis 
and  Clark  Expedition  and  the  work  of  the  missionaries 
"in  binding  together  the  lands  of  the  Pacific  and  the 
Atlantic. 

He  speaks  of  "well  built  forts  in  the  Oregon  country 
over  which  floated  the  flag  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company. 

He  writes  about  "the  schoolhouses  and  the  churches" 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     203 

connected  with  the  American  mission  settlements,  and  of 
"the  ver(hire  of  the  perpetual  springtime"  that,  he  says, 
prevails  in  the  Willamette  Valley. 

We  give  a  few  excerpts  from  this  article : 

In  the  West  our  political  supremacy  is  found.  .  .  .  The 
isles  of  the  Pacific  are  our  neighbors.  ...  At  our  Western 
doorway  lies  the  wintry  coast  of  Russia,  the  heart  of  European 
despotism.  .  .  .  Broad  rivers  leading  to  the  center  of  North- 
ern Asia  invite  our  future  commerce.  .  .  .  Mysterious  Japan 
and  isolated  China  must  find  in  us  the  nearest  source  of  a 
more  humanizing  philosophy,  and  where  reason  fails  to  enter, 
commerce  will   force  its  way. 

Power  travels  westward,  and  with  the  key  of  commerce  in 
our  hands  we  are  for  the  coming  age  the  destined  heirs  of 
power.  Extension  of  dominion  we  seek  not,  but  the  empire 
of  opinion;  who  shall  deprive  us  of  it? 

Standing  forth  the  beacon-star  of  human  liberty,  hated  and 
feared  by  every  enemy  of  human  rights.     .     .     . 

With  all  these  proofs  of  Heaven's  own  guidance,  shall  we 
not  consummate  our  mission?  Answer,  ye  pioneers  of  freedom. 
To  you,  and  such  as  you,  we  owe  the  miracle  of  the  nineteenth 
century — you  who  forego  the  comfort  of  old  States  to  trundle 
wheelbarrows  across  the  continent.  .  .  .  You  prove  before 
the  tyrants  of  your  race  the  native  worth  of  man.  .  .  .  Go 
on,  until  you  touch  the  swarming  hives  of  Asia,  and  west- 
ward, westward  still,  until  you  pass  the  birthplace  of  mankind, 
and  the  earth  itself  is  embraced  in  the  blaze  of  human  liberty. 

The  miracle  of  the  nineteenth  century,  as  seen  by  this 
writer,  was  the  occupation  and  control  of  the  Oregon 
country. 

Within  the  sweep  of  his  vision,  with  it  in  the  hands 
of  the  American  people,  he  foresaw  the  overthrow  of 
pagan  altars;  the  ultimate  downfall  of  the  effete  systems 
of  despotism  that  had  so  long  prevailed  in  Asia  and  the 
islands  of  the  sea;  the  establishment  of  commercial  re- 
lations between  us  and  the  people  of  other  lands ;  the 
opening  of  a  highway  through  the  nations  of  the  earth 


264  TJie  Conquerors 

for  the  triumph  of  the  gospel  and  the  dissemination 
among  the  people  of  every  race  and  clime  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  truth,  of  liberty,  and  of  righteousness. 

In  connection  with  the  article  appeared  pictorial  rep- 
resentations of  the  forts  at  Vancouver  and  Walla  Walla, 
erected  by  the  Hudson  Bay  Company. 

There  were  also  pictorial  representations  of  the 
Methodist  Mission  headquarters  in  the  Willamette  Val- 
ley and  at  The  Dalles.  Copies  of  these  are  given  in 
this  book. 

Rev.  John  P.  Durbin,  D.  D.,  at  one  time  president  of 
Dickinson  College  and  later  corresponding  secretary  of 
the  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  a  friend  of  Jason  Lee  and  a  prince  among  the 
great  and  good  men  of  his  day,  wrote  frequently  for  this 
magazine.  He  often  with  voice  and  pen  gave  expression 
to  the  belief  that  the  coast  of  the  Oregon  country  would 
become  one  of  the  great  trade  centers  of  the  world  and 
that  one  of  the  greatest  cities  on  the  globe  would  in  the 
coming  years  be  located  on  Puget  Sound. 

It  is  probable  that  he  was  in  some  measure  respon- 
sible for  the  good  things  that  appeared  in  the  magazine 
about  Oregon. 

The  Secular  Press. 

That  the  secular  press  made  frequent  references  to 
Oregon  and  to  Jason  Lee  is  evident  in  the  fact  that  the 
people  in  large  numbers  heard  him  and  were  intensely 
interested  in  his  descriptions  of  Oregon  and  of  his  work 
there.  It  is  also  evident  in  the  fact  that  soon  thereafter 
the  great  political  party  herein  referred  to  adopted  the 
secular  side  of  the  Oregon  question,  one  of  the  phases 
of  the  very  theme  about  which  Jason  Lee  had  talked  and 
wrote,  as  their  party  Shibboleth  and  popularized  their 
campaign  with  a  great  deal  of  fiery  oratory  as  they  went 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     265 

forth,  with  the  motto  "54-40  or  fight"  emblazoned  upon 
their  banners,  and  swept  the  country  Hke  a  whirlwind. 
Their  torchlight  processions,  bearing  Oregon  mottoes, 
could  be  seen  at  night,  and  thus  they  went  into  the  cities, 
towns  and  villages,  into  the  farming  communities  and 
sparsely  settled  districts,  and  into  the  backwoods  settle- 
ments throughout  the  country,  everywhere  proclaiming 
that  Oregon  rightfully  belonged  to  the  United  States  and 
that  the  especial  business  of  the  party  in  that  campaign 
was  to  see  that  her  rights  in  the  case  were  secured. 

It  was  not  the  name,  the  prestige,  nor  the  greater 
numbers  and  influence  of  the  Democratic  party  as  such 
that  defeated  the  Whigs  and  won  the  election ;  it  was  the 
powerful  leverage  of  the  Oregon  question.  Jason  Lee 
had  placed  the  Oregon  movement  in  the  front  rank  of 
the  popular  questions  of  the  day.  His  eloquent  descrip- 
tions of  the  Pacific  coast  country,  and  the  extensive  ad- 
vertising Oregon  received  as  the  result  of  his  addresses 
and  work,  did  more  to  carry  that  election  than  was  done 
by  the  Democratic  orators  and  party  managers. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  the  publication  of  information 
relative  to  the  acquisition  of  other  territory  by  the  United 
States  has  been  the  merest  bagatelle  in  volume  when 
compared  to  the  larger  amount  of  information  given, 
both  oral  and  written,  about  Oregon. 

Facts  Touching  the;  Action  of  Congress  on  the 
Oregon  Question. 

Excerpts  from  the  Alton  Telegraph,  published  at  Al- 
ton, Illinois,  and  The  Illinois  State  Journal  and  The  Illi- 
nois State  Register,  published  at  Springfield,  Illinois: 

January  4,  1837,  Mr.  Gushing  reported  to  the  House  a 
bill  for  the  protection  of  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  ill 
the  Territory  of  Oregon,  which  was  read  and  referred. 


266  The  Conquerors 

Mr.  Gushing  also  presented  a  report  on  the  same  subject, 
and  ten  thousand  copies  were  ordered  to  be  printed  for  distri- 
bution. 

February  22,  1839. — The  Senate  took  up  the  bill  to  provide 
protection  to  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  residing  in 
Oregon  Territory.  After  a  debate,  which  was  continued  on  the 
23d  and  the  25th,  the  bill  was  referred  to  the  Committee  on 
Foreign  Relations. 

February  27,  1839,  the  President  laid  before  the  Congress 
sundry  documents  relative  to  the  Oregon  country,  which  were 
referred  to  the  Committee  on  Foreign  Affairs. 

December  31,  1839. — On  the  12th  in  the  Senate,  Mr.  Linn 
offered  resolutions  requesting  the  President  to  give  notice  to 
the  British  Government  that  the  Convention  with  Great  Britain, 
by  which  both  parites  may  occupy  Oregon,  must  cease  after 
twelve  months ;  that  the  laws  of  the  United  States  should  be 
extended  over  the  Territory;  that  a  regiment  should  be  raised 
for  the  protection  of  the  people  of  Oregon,  and  that  every 
white  male  who  emigrates  to  Oregon  shall  be  allowed  six 
hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land. 

On  the  loth  of  February,  1840,  Mr.  Linn  introduced  in  the 
Senate  a  resolution  authorizing  the  printing  and  distribution  of 
a  historical  account  of  the  claims  of  the  United  States  to  Oregon, 
which  was  agreed  to.     It  embraced  10,000  copies. 

January  6,  1841,  Mr.  Linn  introduced  a  bill  in  the  Senate 
providing  for  the  extension  of  the  laws  of  the  United  States 
to  the  Territory  of  Oregon,  and  for  the  organization  of  a 
court  and  government.     It  was  read  and  referred. 

Yet  it  is  claimed,  after  the  extensive  publication  of 
facts  about  Oregon  involved  in  reports,  made  of  explor- 
ing expeditions,  and  special  agents,  and  Congressional 
reports  and  debates ;  after  the  vast  amount  of  advertising 
that  Oregon  received  from  the  newspapers  of  the  country, 
both  religious  and  secular;  after  the  many  addresses  of 
Jason  Lee  in  different  parts  of  the  country  before  large 
and  enthusiastic  audiences ;  after  the  memorials  and  pe- 
titions sent  to  Washington  by  the  American  missionary 
colonists;  after  the  people  of  the  United  States,  as  a  re- 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     207 

suit  of  their  knowledge  of  and  their  interest  in  Oregon, 
had,  in  response  to  their  convictions  of  duty,  put  over 
one  hundred  and  seventy-three  thousand  dollars  into  the 
missionary  treasury  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
to  Christianize  and  Americanize  Oregon;  after  Jason 
Lee  had  inaugurated  the  emigration  movement  in  Illinois 
that  was  not  only  rapidly  reinforcing  the  American  Mis- 
sion settlement  in  the  Willamette  Valley,  but,  by  its  force 
and  enthusiasm,  gave  promise  of  bringing  large  numbers 
of  American  home  builders  to  the  Pacific  coast  in  the 
immediate  future,  and  all  this  followed  by  a  political 
party  in  a  Presidential  campaign  making  a  great  spec- 
tacular display  of  the  Oregon  question  and  advertising 
it  as  the  most  important  and  greatest  subject  in  their 
stock  of  arguments  and  the  sign  by  which  they  expected 
to  conquer — after  all  this  the  astounding  claim  is  made 
that  the  people  of  the  United  States  and  the  officers  of 
the  Government  at  Washington  were  ignorant  of  the  con- 
ditions that  prevailed. 

After  the  extensive  correspondence,  publicity,  and 
agitation  herein  referred  to,  the  general  and  the  enthu- 
siastic interest  manifested  in  behalf  of  Oregon  through- 
out the  United  States,  ignorance  of  Oregon  affairs,  and 
indifference  to  them  by  the  officers  of  the  Government 
and  the  American  people  was  absolutely  impossible. 
After  this,  the  conditions  were  such  that  Oregon  could 
not  be  lost,  stolen,  soltl,  or  bartered  away.  The  claim 
that  this  was  the  case  is  ridiculous  and  has  not  even  the 
semblance  of  truth  to  sustain  it. 

After  this,  there  was  no  room  for  doubt,  uncertainty, 
or  diplomatic  quibbling  about  the  outcome  of  the  Oregon 
question,  for,  so  far  as  the  ownership  of  that  part  of 
Oregon  was  concerned  of  which  Jason  Lee's  army  of 
occupation  had  taken  possession,  all  these  elements  had 
been  entirely  eliminated  and  but  one  result  was  possible. 


268  The  Conquerors 

The  truth  is,  the  rightfuhiess  of  the  claim  of  the 
United  States  to  Oregon  had  become  so  thoroughly  in- 
wrought in  the  convictions  of  the  people,  and  the  move- 
ment to  make  it  a  part  of  the  National  domain  had  at- 
tained such  strength  and  momentum,  that  success  v^as 
absolutely  certain. 

These  and  kindred  facts  show  the  utter  untenability 
and  falsity  of  the  "Whitman  Saved  Oregon"  story  and 
the  amazing  credulity  that  is  necessary  to  believe  it. 

In  the  light  of  the  facts  given  in  these  pages  this 
statement  and  claim  is  absurd  to  a  degree  bordering  upon 
absolute  silliness.^ 

1  The  fact  that  many  have  given  credence  to  this  story  made  the  examination 
of  the  claim  and  the  assumptions  upon  which  it  is  based  necessary,  but  for  which 
this  phase  of  the  subject  would  not  have  been  referred  to  and  this  chapter  would 
not  have  been  written. 


CHAPTER  XI 
Map  of  the  Original  Oregon  Country 

OREGON,   THE   OLD   AND   THE   NEW. 

Locked  in  the  sleep  of  the  ages 
Was  the  Oregon  of  the  long  ago. 
To  her  at  last  the  message  came 
Of  hope  and  light  in  Jesus'  name. 
In  the  years  agone,  none  could  boast 
Of  the  trade  life  of  this  Western  coast 
Now  our  harvets,  rich  and  golden, 
With  fruit  and  grain  our  garners  fill, 
While  the  freighters  of  modern  times. 
Laden  with  wealth  from  other  climes, 
Pass  through  our  gates,  that  are  ajar 
Because  missionaries  from  afar 
Have  opened  the  way  to  Oregon. 
They  also  bear  across  the  seas 
The  products  of  our  factories, 
Our  forests,  mills,  mines,  and  fields. 
To  those  who  live  in  other  lands. 
Thus  the  mission  ground  of  Jason  Lee 
In  these  later  years  has  come  to  be 
One  of  the  trade  centers  of  the  world. 

The  name  Oregon  was  applied  originally  to  a  large 
extent  of  country.  It  embraced  what  is  now  known  as 
the  States  of  Oregon,  Washington,  Idaho,  a  part  of  Mon- 
tana and  Wyoming,  and  all  of  British  Columbia. 

It  contained  an  area  of  over  700,000  square  miles. 

It  was  bounded  on  the  north  by  Russian  America 
269 


270  The  Conquerors 

(now  Alaska),  on  the  east  by  the  Rocky  Mountains,  on 
the  west  by  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  on  the  south  by 
Mexico. 

This  map  (outhne),  together  with  the  description  ac- 
companying it,  gives  the  location,  the  names,  and  some 
important  facts  concerning  the  present  condition  of  the 
different  parts  of  the  original  Oregon  country. 

The  State  of  Oregon,  as  it  now  appears  upon  the  map 
given  herewith,  embraces  an  area  of  96,030  square  miles. 

It  was  constituted  a  Territory  by  act  of  Congress 
March  3,  1849,  and  was  admitted  as  a  State  into  the 
Federal  Union  February  14,  1859. 

Oregon  is  known  as  the  "Webfoot  State." 

The  scenic  features  and  conditions  that  prevail  in  the 
Oregon  country  are  worthy  of  special  mention. 

When,  in  the  years  of  the  long  ago,  the  Columbia 
opened  a  pathway  for  herself  through  the  Cascade  Moun- 
tains, a  scene  of  marvelous  beauty  and  grandeur  came  to 
view.  Waters  from  innumerable  rivulets  and  streams 
broke  through  the  great  mountain  wall.  The  barriers 
were  swept  away  and  the  imprisoned  waters  rushed 
madly  onward  to  the  sea,  the  waterfalls  and  the  bridal 
veils  appeared,  and  the  mountains  rising  in  stately  gran- 
deur on  either  side  of  this  majestic  waterway  were  silent 
witnesses  to  the  birth  of  one  of  the  greatest  rivers  and 
some  of  the  greatest  scenery  on  the  continent. 

The  Columbia  is  one  of  the  great  rivers  of  the  world. 
It  drains  about  350,000  square  miles  of  territory,  includ- 
ing a  large  part  of  the  agricultural  areas  of  the  old  Ore- 
gon  country. 

The  headwaters  of  the  Columbia  and  of  the  Missouri 
are  not  far  apart. 

The  source  of  each  of  them  is  in  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, in  about  the  same  degree  of  latitude.     The  one 


\nrr/(!,jj(:i  AX 


^ 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     271 

flows  south  and  east  for  about  2,000  miles,  and  empties 
into  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  The  other  flows  west,  or  a  lit- 
tle south  of  west,  and  empties  into  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

The  Columbia  has  many  tributaries,  along  the  banks 
of  which,  as  well  as  skirting  the  shores  of  the  main  river, 
there  is  some  of  the  grandest  scenery  in  the  world. 

The  Coast  and  the  Cascade  range  of  mountains  par- 
allel each  other  and  are  about  sixty  to  eighty  miles  apart, 
running  north  and  south,  with  latterals  in  a  few  cases 
running  east  and  west.  Numerous  peaks  are  from  4,000 
to  8,000  feet  high. 

Some  are  of  a  greater  altitude  than  this,  and  are 
seen  from  afar;  their  domes  pierce  the  clouds  and  are 
crowned  with  perpetual  snow. 

Among  the  great  peaks  of  Alaska  are  Mt.  McKinley, 
Foraker,  and  St.  Elias ;  of  Washington,  Baker,  Rainier, 
Adams,  and  St.  Helens ;  of  Oregon,  Mt.  Hood,  The 
Three  Sisters,  and  Jefferson;  of  California,  Mt.  Shasta 
and  Whitney. 

These  giant  hills  through  the  years  and  the  centuries 
are  covered  with  a  mantle  of  snow  and  crowned  with  a 
majesty  that  is  kingly  and  divine. 

In  Western  Oregon  are  the  Willamette,  the  Umpqua, 
the  Rogue  River,  and  other  valleys.  They  embrace  large 
areas  of  rich  valley  and  table  lands  that  are  remarkable 
for  their  fertility  and  productiveness. 

Much  of  the  hill  and  prairie  lands  are  very  productive 
and  are  adapted  to  the  growth  of  wheat  and  fruit,  and 
other   farm  products. 

In  Eastern  Oregon  there  are  many  stock  ranges, 
where  herds  and  flocks  are  seen  in  large  numbers. 

There  is  much  timber  along  the  western  shore  line 
of  Oregon  and  upon  the  streams  that  empty  into  the 
Pacific  Ocean ;  also  upon  the  lands  bordering  upon  the 


272  The  Conquerors 

streams  that  flow  into  the  Cokimbia  River,  and  in  the 
foothills  of  the  Cascade  Mountains. 

At  many  points  in  this  timbered  region  there  are  mills 
that  turn  out  a  large  amount  of  rough  and  finished 
lumber. 

The  fish  product  of  Oregon  is  very  extensive.  The 
Columbia  River  salmon  are  the  finest  of  their  kind  in  the 
world. 

The  resources  of  Oregon  are  varied  and  extensive. 

The  Orcgonian  of  January  2,  1905,  gives  a  summary 
of  the  products  of  the  State,  as  follows : 

Dairying — 26,666,600  gallons  of  milk  were  produced  in  Ore- 
gon in  1904.  The  value  of  this  output  aggregated  $4,000,000. 
Dairy  products  for  that  year,  including  butter,  cheese,  and  cream, 
increased  this  amount  to  over  $7,000,000. 

Wool — The  clip  in  Eastern  Oregon  exceeded  17,000,000 
pounds.  In  Western  Oregon  over  2,000,000  pounds  were  pro- 
duced, making  the  total  production  of  the  year  19,000,000  pounds. 
Value,  $2,850,000. 

Live  Stock — There  are  in  the  State  over  4,488,000  head  of 
horses,  cattle,  sheep,  and  hogs,  the  value  of  which  is  $25,000,000. 
Of  this  amount  range  cattle  aggregate  $14,000,000. 

Hops — The  aggregate  crop  was  82,500  bales,  or  16,000,000 
pounds,  the  value  of  which  was  $4,000,000. 

Wheat — 12,950,000  bushels  were  produced,  the  estimated 
value  of  which  was  $8,806,000.  For  the  year  1905  the  wheat 
product  of  Oregon  amounted  to  13,700,000  bushels. 

Oats — 3,221,774  bushels  were  raised;  value,  $1,224,704. 

Barley — 639,378  bushels;  value,  $311,572. 

Fruit — Apples,  peaches,  pears,  prunes,  cherries,  plums,  and 
the  smaller  fruits,  such  as  strawberries,  raspberries,  blackberries, 
etc.,  are  produced  in  enormous  quantities  and  are  of  excellent 
quality. 

In  the  Willamette  Valley  there  was  raised  last  year  $50,000 
worth  of  grapes,  and  the  Hood  River  Valley  produced  straw- 
berries the  market  value  of  which  was  about  $200,000. 

According  to  the  report  of  Mr.  G.  H.  Lamberson,  Secretary 
of  the  State  Board  of  Horticulture,  the  value  of  the  fruit  product 
of  1904  was  as  follows:  Apples,  $885,000;  prunes^  $310,000;  pears, 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Countr/j     273 

$160,000;  pcaclics,  $175,000;  strawberries  and  other  small  fruits, 
$710,000;   total,  $2,240,000. 

Lumber — Number  of  mills,  480;  output,  1,405,000,000  feet; 
value,  $12,650,000;  wages  paid  (1904)   $2,612,500. 

Banks — The  banks  of  the  State  have  seen  enormous  activity 
during  the  year  just  closed.  Eight  million  one  hundred  and 
thirty-eight  thousand  two  himdred  and  thirty-eight  dollars  has 
been  added  to  the  accumulated  wealth  of  the  people.  In  Novem- 
ber, 1904,  $63,753,753  was  on  deposit  in  the  banks  of  the  State. 

The  mineral  resources  of  Southern  and  Eastern  Oregon  are 
extensive,  especially  in  the  production  of  gold. 

Washington. 

Her  location,   resources,   and   name 
Will  bring  her  honor,  wealth,  and  fame. 
Her  inland  seas  are  deepest,  best 
Of  any  of  which  the  coast  is  blest; 
Her  commerce  will  be  very  great. 
The  bulwark   of  a   mighty   State. 
Rich  harvests,  too,   her  garners   fill 
And  fatten  the  empty  purse  and  till. 
In  her  lap  Alaska  dumps  the  gold 
And  other  things   her  coffers   hold. 
To  her  ports  the  leviathans  come 
From  the  lands  beyond  the  seas,  and  some 
Rich  treasures  bring. 

The  State  of  Washington  owes  its  name  to  a  mem- 
ber of  Congress  from  Kentucky — a  Mr,  Stanton. 

A  petition  to  be  set  off  as  a  separate  Territory  from 
Oregon  was  presented  to  Congress  in  1852. 

The  Territory  was  created  March  2,  1853.  The  name 
proposed  was  Cokimbia.     Mr.  Stanton  said: 

We  already  have  a  Territory  of  Columbia,  but  we  have 
never  dignified  a  Territory  by  the  name  of  Washington.  I  desire 
to  see  a  sovereign  State  bearing  the  name  of  the  father  of  this 
Country,  and  therefore  move  to  strike  out  the  word  "Columbia" 
wherever  it  occurs  in  the  bill  and  insert  instead  thereof  the 
word  "Washingon." 
18 


274  The  Conquerors 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  ratification  by  Congress 
of  the  provision  that  had  been  made  for  the  admission 
of  this  Territory  into  the  family  of  States  was  made  on 
Washington's  Birthday,  February  22,  1889,  and  the  quill 
with  which  President  Cleveland  signed  the  document 
was  plucked  from  the  wing  of  an  American  eagle. 

Major  Isaac  Stevens  was  the  first  governor  of  the 
Territory.  By  proclamation  made  from  the  summit  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains,  September  29,  1853,  he  announced 
his  assumption  of  the  duties  of  the  governorship. 

Stevens  County,  in  this  State,  was  named  in  his  honor. 
The  State  government  was  organized  in  1889,  and  soon 
thereafter  this  large  county  was  divided  and  the  new 
part  was  named  Ferry  County,  in  honor  of  Hon.  Elisha 
P.  Ferry,  the  first  governor  of  the  State.  Washington 
is  known  as  the  "Evergreen  State." 

The  area  of  the  State  is  69,180  square  miles. 

It  is  divided  into  two  parts  by  the  Cascade  Mountains. 
The  climate  east  of  the  Cascades  is  a  little  colder  in 
winter  and  slightly  warmer  in  summer  than  it  is  in  the 
western  part  of  the  State;  there  is  also  less  rainfall  in 
the  eastern  part. 

Washington  occupies  a  favored  place  in  the  trade 
belt  of  the  world. 

The  products  of  Eastern  Washington  are  chiefly  of 
an  agricultural  and  mineral  character.  The  soil  in  many 
parts  of  the  State  is  rich  and  productive. 

The  following  is  the  amount  and  value  of  the  several 
products  named  that  were  raised  in  the  State  in  1900: 
Wheat,  25,000,000  bushels;  oats,  5,187,008  bushels; 
barley,  4,853,191  bushels. 

The  estimated  value  of  the  agricultural  products  of 
the  State  for  that  year  was  $36,000,000. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     275 

The  wheat  product  of  the  State  for  1905  amounted 
to  34,100,000  bushels,  and  in  1907  to  40,000,000  bushels. 

The  grass-growing  capabihties  of  the  State,  especially 
of  Western  Washington,  are  not  excelled  in  the  United 
States. 

There  is  no  part  of  the  country  where  grass  will 
grow  more  easily  and  can  be  cultivated  more  successfully 
than  in  the  region  originally  known  as  the  Oregon 
country. 

Grass  means  food  and  life  for  cattle,  horses,  hogs, 
and  sheep.  It  means  milk,  butter,  and  cheese  for  the 
markets,  and  meats  for  the  larders  of  the  people,  and 
money  for  the  pockets  of  the  men  who  produce  them. 
In  the  not  remote  future  Oregon,  Washington,  Idaho, 
Montana,  and  British  Columbia  (the  old  Oregon  country) 
will  be  one  of  the  most  noted  dairy  sections  of  North 
America. 

It  is  the  ideal  home  for  the  cow  and  the  dairy. 

The  following  tabulated  statement  is  taken  from  the 
report  of  Mr.  E.  A.  McDonald,  State  Dairy  and  Food 
Commissioner,  for  the  year  ending  November  i,  1904: 

There  are  412  creameries  in  the  State,  and  the  butter  product 
for  the  year  was  7,566,769  pounds.  There  are  thirty-seven  cheese 
factories  in  the  State,  and  the  amount  of  cheese  manufactured 
last  year  was  526,201  pounds. 

Mr.  McDonald  says : 

The  development  of  the  condensed  milk  industry  has  been 
more  rapid  than  the  most  sanguine  expected. 

The  value  of  the  products  exported  from  September  i,  1903, 
to  August  I,   1904,  eleven  months,  was: 

Alaska   $177,984 

Foreign  countries  263,149 

Total  values,  amount  exported $441,133 


276  The  Conquerors 

Liv^  Stock. 

The  following  statement  is  from  the  Commissioner 
of  Statistics  for  the  State  of  Washington  for  1904: 

Number  Value 

Horses   (including  mules)    189,746  $4,279,430 

Cattle    397,267  5,887,085 

Sheep    633,258  949493 

Hogs   99,449  298,341 

Fish  product  7,3i5i92i 

The  fruit  product  of  the  State  is  remarkable  for  its 
excellence  and  the  largeness  and  the  variety  of  the  supply. 

Coal. 

Mr.  C.  F.  Bowen,  State  Inspector  of  Coal  Mines,  in 
his  report  for  1903  gave  the  following  facts  about  the 
coal  production  of  this  State: 

Number  of  mines  in  operation 32 

Number  of  men  employed  4,876 

Amount  paid  in  wages  $3,982,184 

Output  (tons)   3,190,477 

Total  value  of  coal  and  coke  products $6,620,534 

The  coal  producing  capabilities  of  the  State  are  in 
the  infancy  of  their  development. 

The  supply  is  well  nigh  inexhaustible. 

The  Pacific  Lumber  Trade  Journal,  a  reliable  paper 
published  in  Seattle,  gives  the  following  facts  about  the 
lumber  product  for  1904: 

Sawmills  in  State  of  Washington 439 

Shingle  mills  in  State  of  Washington 441 

Output   of    sawmills,    cargo    and    rail    ship- 
ment  (feet)    1,325,324,906 

Value  of  output  $13,253,249 

Output  of  shingle  mills   (shingles) 5,759,640,000 

Value  of  shingle  output   $7,530,103 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Countrij     277 

Employees  in  mills,  logging  camps,  sash  and 

door  factories,  and  other  allied  industries  81,000 

Amount  of  wages  paid   $47,000,000 

Amount  of  lath  produced  135,111,603 

Value  of  the  product  $236,444 

These  figures  do  not  represent  the  entire  lumber  product 
of  last  year.  If  the  vast  quantity  of  lumber  used  in  local  con- 
sumption were  included,  it  is  probable  that  the  value  of  the 
lumber  products  of  the  State  would  aggregate  $50,000,000  to 
$60,000,000.  In  many  instances,  exact  figures  are  not  obtainable. 
Figures  given  stand  for  known  quantities,  based  upon  reports 
furnished  this  ofiice  by  the  manufacturers. 
Very  truly  yours. 

Pacific  Lumber  Trade  Journal. 

D'lring  the  fishing  season  there  are  large  numbers  of 
men  in  Western  Washington  engaged  in  the  fish  iiukistry. 

More  sahnon  are  caught  and  packed  in  this  State 
than  in  any  other  part  of  the  world  with  the  same  area 
of  waters. 

Puget  Sound  possesses  commercial  advantages  that 
are  unequaled.  The  location  is  such  that  the  waters  of 
this  inland  sea  touch  the  shorter  lines  of  communication 
in  the  circumnavigation  of  the  globe. 

The  distance  from  New  York  to  China,  Japan,  and 
Manila  via  Puget  Sound  is  over  one  thousand  miles  less 
than  by  the  southern  route. 

This  difference  in  distance,  with  other  advantages  of 
equal  magnitude,  will  make  Puget  Sound  in  the  not 
remote  future  one  of  the  leading  trade  centers  of  the 
world. 

The  depth  of  water,  nmncrous  harbors,  ease  of  en- 
trance and  exit,  the  immense  wealth  of  the  country  trib- 
utary to  Puget  Sound,  together  with  the  several  trans- 
continental lines  of  railroad  and  trans-Pacific  steamship 
lines  that  will  meet  at  this  point  to  exchange  their  bur- 


278  The  Conquerors 

dens,  all  combine  to  give  to  these  inland  seas  a  com- 
mercial prominence  that  will  be  world-wide. 

Puget  Sound  occupies  a  central  and  strategic  position 
on  this  great  coast  line,  and  the  promise  of  her  future 
is  not  outranked  by  that  of  any  port  upon  the  face  of 
the  earth. 

The  genesis  of  names  in  Western  Washington  is  a 
matter  of  interest. 

In  1592  a  Greek  navigator  claimed  to  have  discovered 
the  straits  that  bear  his  name,  "Juan  de  Fuca." 

In  1790  a  Spanish  exploring  expedition  entered  the 
straits ;  they  added  something  to  the  information  pre- 
viously obtained  and  left  the  impress  of  their  work  be- 
hind them  in  the  names  they  gave  to  the  waters  they 
visited.  Thus  we  have  Canal  de  Haro,  Sequim  Bay, 
Rosario  Strait,  and  Camano  Texada,  Port  Angeles,  San 
Juan,  Lopez,  Guemes,  and  Fidalgo,  and  other  names  of 
a  kindred  sort. 

In  1792  Captain  George  Vancouver,  with  the  British 
sloop  Discovery,  entered  these  waters.  He  named  Puget 
Sound  after  one  of  his  officers,  Peter  Puget,  and  Hood's 
Canal  after  Lord  Hood.  Mount  Baker  was  named  in 
honor  of  one  of  his  officers.  Lieutenant  Baker.  He  gave 
us  the  names  Protection  Island,  Marrow  Stone  Point, 
Foulweather  Bluff,  Deception  Pass,  Port  Orchard,  Cy- 
press Island,  and  Vancouver  Island. 

In  1841  Captain  Charles  Wilkes  gave  names  to  places 
as  follows :  Port  Ludlow,  Port  Gamble,  Seabeck,  Useless 
Bay,  Quarter  Master's  Harbor,  Elliott  Bay,  Point-No- 
Point,  Mount  Constitution,  etc.  Many  of  the  names 
given  to  places  and  rivers  at  a  later  period  were  of  Indian 
origin.  Thus  we  have  Duwamish,  Samamish,  Snowqual- 
mie,  Skagit,  Lummi,  Nooksack,  Skoo-Kum  Chuck  (Skoo- 
Kum-Strong,  Chuck-Water,   Strong-Water),  and  many 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     279 

others  of  like  import,  that  bear  the  earmarks  of  their 
Indian  Hneage. 

Puget  Sound  is  the  beginning  of  a  system  of  inland 
waters,  interspersed  with  islands,  forming  a  great  archi- 
pelago, the  scenic  grandeur,  extent,  and  utility  of  which 
is  not  excelled  in  any  part  of  the  globe. 

They  extend  from  the  headwaters  of  Puget  Sound 
at  Olympia  north  and  west  for  several  thousands  of 
miles,  touching  the  coast  of  British  Columbia  and  Alaska, 
and  embrace  the  Aleutian  Archipelago,  which  fringes  the 
shore  line  of  the  coast  of  Asia. 

Many  of  these  islands  arc  rich  in  minerals,  and  the 
soil  in  some  parts  is  very  productive. 

The  waters  abound  with  fish.  The  climate  is  mild 
and  equable. 

The  landscape  reveals  comely  forms  robed  in  gar- 
ments of  divers  color  and  attractiveness. 

Here  the  hand  of  the  Great  Artist  has  touched  the 
canvass  with  lavish  skill  and  given  to  nature  a  charm 
and  a  loveliness  that  is  queenly  and  divine. 

Idaho. 

The  first  settlement  in  the  country  embraced  in  the 
State  of  Idaho  was  made  by  Captain  J.  Wyeth,  a  trapper 
and  trader  of  that  period,  at  Fort  Hall.  He  established 
a  trading  post  at  this  point  in  1834.  It  became  an  im- 
portant place,  being  situated  at  the  crossing  of  the  Oregon 
and  Missouri,  and  the  Canadian  and  Utah  trails. 

This  post  was  afterward  occupied  by  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company.  The  first  mission  in  Idaho  was  that  es- 
tablished in  1836  by  Rev.  H.  H.  Spalding,  D.  D.,  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  at  Lapwai.  His  work  among  the 
Nez  Perces  was  very  successful.  The  more  modern 
history  of  Idaho  had  its  beginning  in  i860  in  the  dis- 


280  The  Conquerors 

covery  of  gold  by  Hiram  Pierce  and  his  company  of  five 
prospectors  on  the  clear  water  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  State. 

This  was  followed  by  a  great  rush  of  miners,  pros- 
pectors, traders,  and  gamblers  from  all  comitries  into 
Idaho. 

The  production  of  placer  gold  from  this  region,  since 
the  opening  in  i860  to  1905,  is  conservatively  estimated 
at  $250,000,000. 

Idaho  formed  a  part  of  the  original  Oregon  country 
and  was  included  in  the  Louisiana  Purchase  of  1803. 

March  3,  1863,  the  United  States  Government  or- 
ganized a  Territory,  comprising  all  of  what  is  now  em- 
braced in  the  States  of  Montana,  Wyoming,  and  Idaho, 
containing  327,000  square  miles,  and  named  it  Idaho. 
The  act  of  Congress  creating  the  Territory  of  Idaho 
made  Lewiston  the  temporary  capital. 

The  first  Legislature  convened  at  this  point  in  No- 
vember, 1863. 

In  1868  the  Territories  of  Alontana  and  Wyoming 
were  created  and  the  Territory  of  Idaho  was  reduced  to 
its  present  size. 

At  the  second  session  of  the  Legislature,  held  in  1864, 
arrangements  were  made  for  the  removal  of  the  capitol. 
This  measure,  after  a  little  delay,  was  carried  out,  and  the 
capitol  was  established  at  Boise.  Idaho  was  admitted 
to  Statehood  July  3,  1890,  and  proclamation  was  made 
that  she  was  the  forty-fifth  State  to  enter  the  American 
Union. 

Idaho  embraces  an  area  of  84,600  square  miles. 

The  scenic  conditions  in  this  State  are  not  excelled 
by  any  State  in  the  United  States. 

Bancroft,  the  historian,  says:  "Taken  altogether,  it 
is  the  most  grand,  wonderful,  romantic,  and  mysterious 
part  of  the  domain  enclosed  within  the  Federal  Union." 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     281 

Mountain  scenery  in  all  its  rugged  wildness  and 
majestic  grandeur  is  seen  in  Idaho.  The  noted  Alps 
lose  their  charm  to  one  who  has  crossed  this  wild  expanse 
of  mountain  grandeur. 

Switzerland  could  be  dropped  in  the  center  of  the 
great  scenic  section  of  Idaho  and  be  lost  in  the  labyrinth 
of  mountain  ranges  and  towering  peaks  that  would  sur- 
round it.  The  beautiful  lakes  nestled  in  the  fastnesses 
of  this  region,  the  crystal  waters  of  which  reflect  the 
grandeur  of  the  surrounding  scenes,  with  rocks  standing 
u])  like  giants  against  the  sky,  of  divers  forms  and  colors ; 
mountains  crowned  with  perpetual  snow,  their  sides  cov- 
ered with  the  vari-colored  verdure;  these  are  seen,  as 
if  in  a  mirror,  reflected  upon  the  bosom  of  these  inland 
seas. 

There  are  twenty-one  counties  in  Idaho.  Idaho 
County  contains  10,800  square  miles  and  is  larger  than 
the  State  of  Massachusetts.  The  State  of  Idaho  has 
11,000,000  acres  of  agricultural  lands,  20,000,000  acres 
of  grazing  lands,  20,000,000  acres  of  timber  lands,  and 
5,000,000  acres  of  mineral  lands. 

The  soil  in  the  valleys  is  exceedingly  fertile. 

Millions  of  acres  lie  in  the  irrigation  belt.  Irriga- 
tion canals  are  being  opened  and  extended  over  this 
country,  and  will,  in  the  near  future,  with  the  develop- 
ment of  other  resources,  make  Idaho  one  of  the  great 
wealth-producing  States  of  the  American  Union. 

It  is  claimed  that  the  northern  part  of  the  State  con- 
tains the  finest  white  pine  forests  in  the  world.  Spruce, 
tamarack,  and  cedar  abound. 

In  the  great  woodlands  that  lie  in  the  foothills  of 
the  15itter  Root  Range  of  mountains  there  are  forests  of 
fine  timber  that  have  never  been  explored  or  surveyed. 

The  mineral  lands  of  Idaho  are  very  extensive  and 
are  in  the  infancy  of  their  development. 


282  The  Conquerors 

The  five  leading  industries  of  the  State  are  mining, 
agriculture,  stock-raising,  lumbering,  and  horticulture. 
These  several  industries  rank  in  wealth  in  the  order 
named. 

The  value  of  the  mineral  products  of  the  State  in 
1903  was  $21,056,076. 

The  value  of  the  agricultural  products  for  the  same 
year,  $15,181,194. 

The  wheat  products  of  1905  amounted  to  5,400,000 
bushels. 

The  estimated  value  of  the  live  stock  in  the  State 
is  given  at  $22,196,153,  and  the  annual  product  of  the 
live  stock  industry,  including  the  wool  clip,  which 
amounted  to  $2,160,000,  aggregate  $9,500,000. 

Development  has  just  commenced  in  the  lumber  in- 
dustry. 

Nearly  one-half  of  the  timber  land  in  the  State  has 
never  been  surveyed. 

Horticulture — Apples,  pears,  peaches,  plums,  prunes, 
apricots,  nectarines,  cherries,  grapes,  and  the  smaller 
fruits  yield  abundantly.  Idaho's  fruit  is  becoming  fa- 
mous for  its  perfection  in  quality,  flavor,  and  color,  and 
its  high  standing  in  the  markets  of  the  country. 

The  shipment  of  fruit  from  the  orchards,  vineyards, 
and  gardens  of  Idaho  last  year  aggregated  two  thousand 
two  hundred  car  loads. 

At  the  St.  Louis  Exposition  in  1904  Idaho  had  the 
distinction  of  receiving  the  Grand  Prize,  the  highest 
award  granted  by  the  exposition  for  the  best  collective 
exhibit  of  grains  and  agricultural  products,  in  competi- 
tion not  only  with  every  State  in  the  Union,  but  with 
every  civilized  nation  in  the  world. 

The  State  also  received  a  gold  medal   for  its  fruit 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     283 

exhibit,  in  addition  to  which  three  gold  medals,  twenty- 
eight  silver  medals,  and  twenty-six  bronze  medals  were 
awarded  to  individual  fruit  exhibitors. 

Boise  is  the  capital  and  the  financial,  educational,  and 
political  metropolis  of  Idaho,  and  was  founded  in  1863. 

It  is  the  largest  city  in  the  State  and  is  the  distrib- 
uting point  for  the  business  and  travel  of  a  large  extent 
of  country. 

It  is  situated  in  the  Boise  Valley  and  on  the  Oregon 
Short  Line  Railroad,  about  midway  between  Portland 
and  Salt  Lake  City. 

It  is  the  center  of  the  richest  agricultural,  horticul- 
tural, and  stock-raising  section  of  Idaho. 

It  is  one  of  the  few  and  perhaps  the  only  city  in  the 
world  in  which  natural  hot  water  is  supplied  from  ar- 
tesian wells  for  heating,  cleansing,  and  other  useful  pur- 
poses. It  is  thus  used  in  many  of  the  public  buildings 
and  private  residences. 

Montana. 

Montana  is  known  as  "The  Treasure  State."  It  em- 
braces an  area  of  146,000  square  miles.  Montana  in 
Spanish  signifies  "mountains."  The  main  range  of  the 
Rockies  extends  across  the  State  north  and  south. 

Montana's  total  mountain  area  embraces  26,000,000 
acres;  farming  lands,  30,000,000  acres;  grazing  lands, 
38,000,000  acres. 

The  country  embraced  in  this  State  was  first  explored 
by  the  Spaniards.  Gold  was  discovered  in  the  early  six- 
ties ;  since  that  time  the  metal  production  of  the  State 
has  exceeded  $1,000,000,000.  The  placer  yield,  it  is 
stated,  has  amounted  to  $200,000,000  since  1880.  The 
Butte  district  has  yielded  over  $500,000,000  in  copper, 
silver,  and  gold.    The  topography  and  climatic  conditions 


284  The  Conquerors 

of  the  country  are  such  that  floods,  droughts,  and  tor- 
nadoes are  unknown. 

In  1903  the  vakie  of  the  cattle  shipments  exceeded 
$12,000,000,  while  the  mutton  and  the  sheep  exported 
sold  for  $4,500,000,  and  30,000,000  pounds  of  wool  sold 
for  as  much  more.  The  beef,  mutton,  and  wool  exports 
make  the  average  receipts  of  the  stockmen  more  than 
$20,000,000  per  annum,  to  which  must  be  added  the  agri- 
cultural and  the  horticultural  revenues,  making  the  value 
of  the  farm  products  over  $35,000,000  per  annum. 

In  the  matter  of  dairying  Montana  is  a  very  inviting 
field.  It  is  estimated  that  there  are  350,000  horses  in  the 
State,  5,000,000  sheep,  1,000,000  cattle.  The  number  of 
fruit  trees  approximate  2,000,000.  The  soil  and  climate 
of  the  State  are  admirably  adapted  to  the  raising  of 
fruit  of  fine  size  and  flavor  and  in  large  quantities.  The 
State  as  a  whole  is  subject  to  less  extremes  of  heat  and 
cold  than  either  of  the  Dakotas  or  Minnesota. 

Montana  contains  a  large  amount  of  valuable  timber. 
This  is  especially  true  of  the  western  part  of  the  State. 
White  and  yellow  pine,  red  fir,  cottonwood,  spruce,  and 
tamarack,  all  these  abound  in  the  timbered  sections  of  the 
State.  Coal  in  large  quantities  is  found  in  several  coun- 
ties of  the  State.  Bituminous  and  coaking  coals  predom- 
inate. Extensive  bodies  of  lignite  and  semi-lignite  are 
found  and  generally  used  for  domestic  and  railroad  pur- 
poses. 

Scenic  Ff.atures. 

Yellowstone  Park  is  a  great  storehouse  of  wonders, 
surpassing  in  picturesque  phenomena  and  other  scenic 
features  any  resort  in  the  world.  It  is  reached  by  rail 
or  roadways  from  Montana ;  geographically  it  belongs  to 
this  State  and  to  Wyoming. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     285 

Under  military  control,  access  to  the  varied  marvels 
of  the  reserve  have  been  made  easy,  roads  have  been 
constructed,  hotels  erected,  the  streams  stocked  with  fish, 
and  rules  for  the  preservation  of  game  vigorously  en- 
forced. 

The  hot-water  geysers,  the  mud  springs,  the  petrified 
forests,  the  soda  and  the  sulphur  mountains,  the  Yellow 
Stone  Lake,  the  mountain  gorges  and  peaks;  these  are  a 
few  of  the  attractions  of  this  great  wonderland. 

The  wild  game  protected  by  law  is  one  of  the  chief 
attractions  of  the  Park.  It  contains  several  thousand 
antelope.  Mountain  sheep  have  come  back  to  the  high 
ranges.  Bear  are  to  be  seen  near  the  hotels.  The  wild 
buffalo  herd  numbers  over  fifty  head. 

During  the  season  of  1903  over  13,000  tourists  visited 
this  reserve,  and  the  number  will  increase  as  the  years 
go  by,  for  no  part  of  the  world  possesses  views  of  equal 
scenic  grandeur. 

Rev.  F.  A.  Riggin,  a  pioneer  Methodist  minister  of 
Montana,  says :  "The  records  I  have  seen  show  that  ex- 
plorations were  made  in  Montana  by  the  French  as  early 
as  1742." 

Trading  posts  were  established  on  Mission  River  and 
Gold  Creek  in  1829,  and  at  Fort  Benton  in  1846. 

The  first  continuous  settlement  followed  the  discovery 
of  gold  by  James  and  Granville  Stewart  in  1861. 

Montana  is  a  great  State,  and  before  her  there  is  a 
great  future. 

The  resources  of  the  State  are  very  extensive  and 
their  development  will  bring  to  her  great  wealth  and  a 
large  population. 

A  Territorial  government  was  organized  in  1864  and 
the  Territory  was  admitted  to  Statehood  in  1889. 

There  arc  twenty-seven  counties  in  the  State,  a  num- 


286  The  Conquerors 

ber  of  which  embrace  a  larger  area  than  some  of  the 
smaller  States  of  the  American  Union. 

Montana  was  included  in  the  Louisiana  Purchase  of 
1803,  and  about  one-fifth  of  the  State — viz.,  the  territory 
west  of  the  divide  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  embracing 
an  area  of  about  28,000  square  miles — formed  a  part  of 
the  original  Oregon  country. 

The  southern  and  western  borders  of  the  State  are 
mountainous  and  are  interspersed  with  rich  valleys. 

In  the  northern  and  central  portions  of  the  State  there 
are  vast  plains  and  prairies.  Here  government  irriga- 
tion will  have  one  of  its  greatest  opportunities  and,  no 
doubt,  one  of  its  most  successful  triumphs. 

When  the  great  reservoirs  and  canals  now  contem- 
plated, by  which  the  water  from  the  lakes  and  streams 
of  the  State  can  be  utilized,  shall  have  been  completed, 
it  will  make  Montana  one  of  the  richest  agricultural  re- 
gions in  the  world. 

The  State  is  especially  strong  in  the  type  of  her  citi- 
zenship. The  excellence  of  her  school  system  and  the 
growth  and  increase  of  the  number  of  her  Churches,  these 
are  the  hopeful  features  for  the  future  of  this  great 
Commonwealth. 

Butte  is  the  largest  city  in  the  State.  It  is  the  cen- 
ter of  a  large  mining  district. 

British  Coi^umbia. 

It  embraces  all  that  part  of  North  America  north  of 
the  United  States,  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  and 
south  of  Alaska. 

The  area  of  this  part  of  the  old  Oregon  country,  as 
given  in  the  Year-Book  of  British  Columbia,  page  12, 
for  the  year  1903,  is  as  follows: 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     287 

We  give  the  names  of  tlie  several  districts,  or  political  di- 
visions of  the  province,  with  the  area  of  each  of  them,  as  com- 
piled by  the  statisticians  of  the  Provincial  Government. 


Kootenay    

Yale   

Lillooet    

Westminster    

Cariboo    

Cassiar    

Comax   

Vancouver  Island 


Sq.  miles 

Sq.  acres 

23.500 

15,000,000 

24,300 

15,850,000 

16,100 

10,300,000 

7,660 

4,900,000 

150,550 

96,350,000 

164,300 

105,150,000 

7,100 

4,550,000 

16,400 

10,000,000 

409,910    262,160,000 


As  has  already  been  observed,  the  number  of  square  miles 
embraced  in  the  different  divisions  of  the  original  Oregon  coun- 
try that  came  under  American  control  is  as  follows : 

Oregon  96,030 

Washington    69,180 

Idaho    84,600 

Western  Montana  28,000 

Northwestern   Wyoming   13,000 

Total   290,810 

Thus  119,100  square  miles  more  of  the  old  Oregon  Terri- 
tory come  under  British  than  under  American  control. 

British  Columbia  is  a  very  desirable  part  of  North  America. 
Its  location  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  its  varied  and 
enormous  resources,  the  condition  of  climate  and  natural  ad- 
vantages with  which  she  is  endowed,  will  bring  to  her  a  growth 
and  development  greater  than  her  friends  would  be  likely  to 
predict. 

The  present  population  of  British  Columbia  is  esti- 
mated at  250,000,  embracing  whites,  Indians,  Chinese, 
and  Japanese.     (January,  1906.) 


288  The  Conquerors 

There  is  a  wealth  of  beauty  and  a  harmonious  combi- 
nation of  land  and  marine  scenery  in  British  Columbia; 
the  coast,  with  its  rugged  cliffs  and  its  sloping  shores, 
clothed  in  perpetual  verdure;  the  hill  lands  covered  with 
timber,  and  the  valleys  carpeted  with  grass. 

The  mountains  rise  in  stately  grandeur  toward  the 
sky;  the  glaciers  and  the  water-falls,  the  lakes  and  the 
rivers,  the  hills  and  the  valleys,  and  the  islands  that  are 
set  jewels  in  the  bosom  of  the  sea — all  these  silently  and 
effectively  proclaim  the  glory  of  the  Infinite  and  show 
the  wealth  of  scenic  display  that  prevail  in  British  Co- 
lumbia. 

Resources. 

The  value  of  the  mineral  products  of  the  provinces 
for  1903  was  $17,495,954-  Total  amount  produced  since 
the  beginning  of  mining  operations,  in  1852,  $207,224,492. 

Coal  was  first  mined  in  British  Columbia  in  1836; 
very  little  was  done,  however,  in  the  opening  and  opera- 
tion of  the  collieries  until  a  more  recent  date.  The  coal 
is  of  excellent  quality  and  finds  a  ready  market. 

In  1902  the  output  was  1,247,665  tons.  Since  the 
opening  of  the  mines  the  output  has  been  18,000,000  tons. 

A  superior  quality  of  coke  is  made  at  Comox.  The 
local  consumption  in  1902  was  3,998  tons.  Twelve  thou- 
sand and  sixteen  tons  were  exported  that  year.  The 
total  output  from  this  place  has  been  300,877  tons,  the 
value  of  which  was  $52,504,385. 

The  coal-bearing  lands  of  British  Columbia  have  been 
examined  to  a  sufficient  extent  to  warrant  the  statement 
that  large  areas,  embracing  many  thousands  of  square 
miles,  will  produce  excellent  coal  in  enormous  quantities. 

Timber. — It  is  doubtless  true  that  British  Columbia 
possesses  a  larger  amount  of  merchantable  timber  than 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     289 

can  be  found  in  any  region  of  the  same  extent  in  North 
America.  Tiic  timber  product  is  remarkable  for  its  ex- 
tensiveness  and  its  variety. 

It  consists  of  fir,  cedar,  white  pine,  spruce,  hemlock, 
oak,  poplar,  maple,  alder,  and  other  growths. 

One  feature  of  the  forests  of  the  coast  is  their  density. 
As  high  as  500,000  feet  of  lumber  have  been  taken  from 
a  single  acre,  which  seems  incredible  to  a  lumberman  of 
the  East,  where  20,000  feet  is  considered  not  a  bad 
average.  There  are  over  eighty  sawmills  in  the  province, 
with  an  aggregate  daily  capacity  of  about  2,000,000  feet. 

The  acreage  of  woodland  is  put  down  by  the  Do- 
minion statistician  as  285,554  square  miles. 

British  Columbia  possesses  the  conditions  necessary 
to  the  production  of  large  food  supplies. 

The  total  shipment  of  fruit  for  1903  was  2,992  tons, 
the  value  of  which  was  $500,000. 

This  does  not  include  the  amount  consumed  at  home, 
but  only  that  contained  in  the  market  reports  as  having 
been  shipped  to  distant  points. 

Dairying  has  become  a  profitable  industry  in  British 
Columbia  and  will  continue  to  increase  in  volume  as 
the  years  go  by  until  it  assumes  immense  proportions. 

There  were  958,845  pounds  of  butter  produced  in 
British  Columbia  in  1903.  The  average  price  at  which 
it  was  sold  was  27^^  cents  per  pound.  The  aggregate 
value  of  the  product  was  $163,682.37. 

FARM   PRODUCTS,   1901. 

Wheat    bushels   368,419 

Oats    "      1,441,566 

Potatoes    "         956,126 

Hay    "         170,187 

Total  value  of  farm  products  for  that  year,  $3,479,682. 
19 


290  The  Conquerors 

VALUE  OF  LIVE  STOCK. 

Horses  $1,507,415 

Milk  cows 934,838 

Sheep   161,447 

Hogs    252,885 

The  waters  of  British  Cokimbia  abound  in  fish.  The 
fishing  industry  of  the  province  is  very  extensive  and  re- 
munerative. The  supply  consists  of  sahnon,  shad,  her- 
ring, hahbut,  cod,  trout,  and  other  varieties. 

In  1901  over  23,000  persons  were  engaged  in  the  fish- 
ing business  on  boats  and  vessels  alone.  The  pack  of 
that  year  amounted  to  1,247,215  cases.  Thousands  of 
persons  find  employment  in  the  canning  and  packing 
establishments. 

The  employees  consist  of  Indians,  Chinese,  Japanese, 
and  a  few  white  people. 

The  value  of  the  fish  product  of  1901  was 
$7,942,771.38. 

Vancouver  Island  was  named  in  honor  of  Captain 
Geo.  Vancouver,  who  visited  these  waters  in  1792.  It 
is  situated  on  the  north  side  of  the  entrance  to  the  straits 
of  Juan  de  Fuca.  Its  west  coast  skirts  the  Pacific  Ocean 
and  its  eastern  shore  line  borders  on  the  Straits  of 
Georgia. 

Victoria 

is  the  chief  city  of  the  province  and  is  located  on  the 
south  end  of  Vancouver  Island,  on  a  bay  that  forms  a 
beautiful  harbor,  and  is  connected  with  the  Straits  of 
Juan  de  Fuca. 

The  city  was  named  in  honor  of  Her  Majesty,  the 
late  Queen  Victoria,  and  has  a  population  of  28,000. 
Victoria  is  finely  situated  and  has  many  scenic  attrac- 
tions. 


CHAPTER  XII 
Alaska 

Alaska,  ho !  the  land  of  gold ; 
Her  coffers  teem  with  wealth  untold, 
Her  mountains  rise  to  heights  sublime. 
Robed  in  garments  quite  divine. 

The  Czar's  dream  of  Russian  aggrandizement  Icrl 
to  the  discovery  of  Alaska.  Peter  the  Great  had  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  pushing  on  past  Asia  and  foun(Hng  a 
Russian  empire  in  the  New  World.  He  sent  out  an  ex- 
ploring expedition  under  Veil  Behring,  a  Danish  captain 
in  the  Russian  service.  The  expedition  was  organized 
in  February,  1725.  The  Behring  Sea  was  named  in  his 
honor.  The  commander  and  many  of  his  men  lost  their 
lives  in  their  efifort,  yet  the  work  was  continued  by  his 
countrymen,  and  Russian  settlements,  with  trading  posts 
and  missions,  were  established  at  different  points.  The 
territory  was  leased  to  the  Russian  Fur  Company.  In 
1839  the  lease  was  renewed.  At  the  expiration  of  this 
lease,  in  1863,  the  Russian  Government  was  willing  to 
dispose  of  her  North  American  possessions.  It  is  per- 
haps true  that  she  would  not  have  sold  to  any  European 
government,  and  it  is  also,  no  doubt,  a  fact  that  the 
United  States  at  that  time  would  not  have  made  the  pur- 
chase from  any  country  in  the  world  other  than  Russia. 

Negotiations  looking  to  the  purchase  were  begun 
soon  after  the  expiration  of  the  lease,  in   1863.     The 

291 


292  The  Conquerors 

treaty  ceding  Alaska  to  the  United  States  was  made 
March  30,  1867,  and  was  ratified  by  the  United  States 
Senate  j\Iay  28th  of  that  year,  and  on  the  i8th  of  October 
Russian  America,  as  it  was  then  called,  was  turned  over 
to  the  United  States.  Cassius  M.  Clay  was  the  American 
ambassador  at  the  Russian  court  in  St.  Petersburg  at 
that  time.  He  took  great  interest  in  the  negotiations  and 
gave  valuable  assistance  in  securing  the  transfer  of 
Alaska  to  the  United  States.  General  Butler,  Mr.  C.  C. 
Washburn,  General  Schenck,  General  Shellabarger,  and 
other  members  of  the  Congress  opposed  the  purchase  and 
labored  diligently  to  prevent  the  ratification  of  the  treaty. 

They  said  it  might  be  proper  for  the  United  States 
Government  to  pay  Russia  $7,200,000  for  her  friendship, 
but  in  no  case  should  we  take  possession  of  that  worth- 
less Arctic  region  that  consisted  for  the  most  part  of 
polar  bears  and  icebergs.  The  reader  will  recall  the  fact 
that  on  the  occasion  of  the  Trent  incident,  referred  to 
elsewhere  in  this  book,  when  war  clouds  seemed  to  be 
gathering  between  this  country  and  Great  Britain,  a 
number  of  Russian  warships  suddenly  dropped  anchor 
in  the  harbor  of  New  York.  Their  coming  was  unher- 
alded and  it  is  almost  certain  that  but  for  this  the  treaty 
ceding  Alaska  to  the  United  States  would  not  have  been 
ratified  by  the  American  Congress.  Mr.  Charles  Sumner, 
General  Banks,  and  Mr.  Thaddeus  Stevens  championed 
the  purchase,  and  the  ratification  was  due  largely  to  their 
efforts. 

It  is  a  historic  fact  that  a  Russian  fleet  consisting  of 
three  first-class  steam  frigates,  two  sloops,  and  two  clip- 
pers arrived  in  New  York  Harbor  September  25,  1863. 
The  frigates  were  the  Alexander  Neivsky,  carrying  736 
ofiiccrs  and  men  and  fifty  guns,  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Zederofvsky.     The  steam  frigate  Pcrcsrct,  with 


HON.   WILLIAM   H.  SEWARD. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     293 

500  men  and  forty-six  guns,  and  the  steam  frigate 
Osliaba,  Captain  Boutakouf,  carrying  750  men  and  forty 
guns.  The  whole  fleet  mustered  over  2,500  men  with 
200  heavy  guns.  The  coming  of  this  naval  squadron  at 
this  critical  juncture  was  hailed  with  grateful  expressions 
of  joy  by  the  American  people.  Among  the  first  visitors 
to  board  the  Russian  ships  were  Major  General  Dix 
and  staff,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Abraham  Lincoln,  Mrs. 
General  Banks,  and  Judge  and  Mrs.  Roosevelt.  A  con- 
tinued round  of  receptions,  banquets,  and  parades  were 
given  in  honor  of  the  men  whose  visit  to  America  was 
fraught  with  such  far-reaching  significance. 

A  notable  affair  was  the  grand  military  and  civic 
parade  and  reception  given  at  the  City  Hall  in  New 
York.  Multitudes  of  people  gave  the  officers  an  enthu- 
siastic greeting,  and  speeches  were  made  by  the  mayor 
and  other  distinguished  citizens.  The  New  York  Tribune 
of  October  2,  1863,  and  other  metropolitan  journals,  to- 
gether with  the  newspapers  of  the  country,  at  that  time 
referred  to  this  event  and  its  effect  upon  the  disturbed 
National  conditions  of  that  period. 

The  central  figure  in  the  Alaska  purchase  was  Hon. 
Wm.  H.  Seward.  He  conceived  the  plan  and  carried 
the  negotiations  to  a  successful  conclusion.  Mr.  Seward 
may  with  propriety  be  called  the  Father  of  Alaska. 

In  speaking  to  the  writer  of  Alaska,  Mr.  Seward 
said :  "Its  fish,  furs,  and  timber  will  make  it  one  of  the 
great  wealth-producing  regions  of  the  world.  The  people 
call  it  'Seward's  folly,'  but  the  time  will  come  when  they 
will  commend  it  as  a  great  stroke  of  statesmanship." 

Some  time  thereafter,  when  asked  what  he  considered 
the  most  important  act  of  his  life,  he  replied,  "The  pur- 
chase of  Alaska."  Wm.  H.  Seward  was  a  great  states- 
man, and  Alaska  is  a  great  country. 


294  The  Conquerors 

Hon.  Frederick  Seward,  who  at  the  time  of  the  pur- 
chase of  Alaska  was  Assistant  Secretary  of  State,  is  re- 
ported in  the  Neiv  York  Herald  of  November  8,  1903, 
to  have  said : 

Mr.  Seward,  my  father,  had  looked  and  hoped  for  the 
acquisition  of  Alaska,  and  felt  that  it  would  be  a  valuable  addi- 
tion to  our  territorJ^  As  early  as  i860  he  made  a  speech  about 
it  that  was  almost  prophetic,  although  at  that  time  there  was 
no  indication  that  it  would  come  to  us  in  the  way  it  did.  Russia 
asked  $10,000,000,  Mr.  Seward  suggested  $5,000,000;  $7,500,000 
was  spoken  of  as  a  compromise  measure.  Seven  million  dollars 
was  finally  agreed  upon,  and  $200,000  was  afterward  added  to 
enable  Russia  to  settle  with  those  to  whom  she  had  granted 
concessions  and  whose  rights  it  was  necessary  to  purchase. 

One  evening  about  nine  o'clock  Mr.  Baron  Stoeckl,  the  Rus- 
sian minister,  came  to  Mr.  Seward's  home  with  the  news  that 
Russia  had  agreed  to  the  treaty  and  he  would  be  ready  to  sign 
it  the  next  day.  "Why  not  to-night?"  asked  Mr.  Seward.  That 
seemed  unusual,  but  the  Russian  minister  found  his  secretary 
and  assistants,  the  lights  were  soon  burning  in  the  State  De- 
partment, and  with  my  father  I  went  there  to  meet  the  min- 
ister and  Senator  Sumner,  at  that  time  chairman  of  the  Senate 
Committee  on  Foreign  Relations. 

Before  morning  the  treaty  was  signed  and  ready  for  trans- 
mission to  the  Senate.  We  have  made  about  2,150  per  cent  on 
our  investment  of  $7,200,000.  We  have  derived  in  thirty-six  yearsi 
fifty-two  millions  in  seal  skins,  fifty  million  in  salmon,  fifty 
million  in  gold,  ten  million  in  revenues  from  seal  skin  privi- 
leges and  customs ;  about  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  millions,  of 
dollars  in  all. 

Vast  as  has  been  the  gain  in  wealth  to  the  United  States 
in  the  acquisition  of  Alaska,  its  development  has  just  begun. 

There  are  enormous  areas  of  land  suitable  for  the  grazing 
of  cattle.  Vegetables  and  grains  can  be  grown  to  perfection, 
the  supply  of  timber  is  almost  inexhaustible,  and  in  mineral 
wealth  Alaska  is  one  of  the  great  treasure  houses  of  the  world. 

Mr.  Charles  Sumner  made  one  of  the  greatest 
speeches  of  his  life  in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States 
in  advocacy  of  the  purchase  of  Alaska.     He  suggested 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     205 

the  name  Alaska.  It  is  a  derivation  from  the  Indian 
name   Alashaic,  and  signifies  "The   Great  Country." 

Alaska  is  a  wonderland.  In  winter  cast  and  north 
of  the  Alaskan  mountains  it  is  very  cold,  in  summer  it 
is  very  warm.  In  the  northern  part  and  within  the  line 
of  the  Arctic  circle  in  summer  for  a  few  days,  there  is 
no  night ;  in  winter  for  a  short  period  there  is  no  day. 
The  ice  king  reigns  over  the  unbroken  solitudes  of  the 
long  Arctic  night. 

The  immense  wealth,  the  natural  wonders,  and  the 
enormous  possibilities  in  the  development  of  Alaska 
are  just  beginning  to  be  known  to  the  world.  Alaska  is 
great  in  extent  and  embraces  an  area  of  590,884  square 
miles.  The  price  paid  for  this  vast  domain,  a  large  part 
of  which  is  underlaid  with  gold,  was  about  one  and  one- 
half  cents  per  acre.  Mt.  McKinley  is  the  highest  moun- 
tain in  North  America.  It  is  situated  in  the  Alaskan 
range  and  overlooks  the  Susitna  Valley.  It  was  named 
by  Wm.  A.  Dickey,  of  Seattle,  in  the  summer  of  1897. 
This  American  name  was  given  in  honor  of  the  President 
of  the  United  States.    The  Russian  name  was  Balshaya. 

The  Susitna  Indian  name  is  Traleyka.  This  great 
mountain  is  20,464  feet  high.^ 

The  total  area  of  the  islands  that  skirt  the  shores  of 
Alaska  is  31,205  square  miles. 

The  shore  line  of  Alaska  embraces  a  length  of  over 
25,000  miles,  or  nearly  two  and  one-half  times  greater 
than  that  of  the  United  States.  The  Yukon  is  one  of  the 
largest  rivers  in  the  world.  It  drains  a  vast  extent  of 
country.  It  is  seventy-five  miles  across  its  five  mouths 
and  intervening  deltas.  At  some  points  on  its  lower 
course  one  bank  can  not  be  seen  from  the  other.     It  is 

1  Height  as  given  in  the  records  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey, 
Washington,  D.  C. 


296  The  Conquerors 

over  two  thousand  miles  long.  The  valley,  or  lowlands, 
near  the  mouth  cover  vast  areas  of  country,  while  the 
upper  river  at  many  points  skirts  the  hills  and  mountains. 

Alaska  is  a  very  rich  country,  and  the  opportunities 
for  laying  the  foundation  of  great  fortunes  are  many, 
yet  large  numbers  of  people  bring  out  less  money  than 
they  take  in,  while  others  lose  all  they  have  and  go  away 
broken  in  spirit,  in  character,  and  in  purse.  The  dangers 
and  difficulties  that  confront  the  gold  seeker  are  numer- 
ous and  real  and  of  the  kind  that  test  his  energy,  his 
endurance,  and  his  adaptation  to  this  work.  For  lack 
of  these  qualities  large  numbers  of  people  fail  in  Alaska. 
They  die  on  the  trails,  perish  in  the  snow  drifts,  or  return 
to  their  homes  discouraged  and  penniless. 

That  the  successful  prospectors  in  Alaska  possess  the 
elements  of  character  out  of  which  heroes  are  made,  is 
illustrated  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Henry  Behrens,  of  New 
York,  who  in  the  summer  of  1903  left  Valdez  for  the 
Tanana  country.  On  the  Tanana  River  he  lost  two  rafts, 
all  his  provisions,  his  guns,  his  ammunition,  and  came 
near  losing  his  life.  He  left  the  river  and  struck  across 
the  country.  For  eighteen  days  he  was  practically  with- 
out food  and  lived  on  goose  grass  (a  kind  of  wild  celery) 
and  the  bark  of  trees.  He  killed  an  owl  with  a  stick  and 
ate  the  raw  flesh  of  the  bird  without  salt  or  other  condi- 
ments. He  entered  a  pest-ridden  Indian  settlement;  the 
bodies  of  the  dying  and  the  dead  lay  all  over  the  camp ; 
though  weak  from  exposure  and  in  a  starving  condition, 
he  beat  a  hasty  retreat  from  the  gruesome  scenes  and 
odors  of  this  charnel-house  of  death.  He  was  on  the 
verge  of  perishing,  when  Mr.  Jack  Dalton  and  Mr.  Henry 
Bratnober,  two  expert  Alaskan  prospectors,  chanced  to 
pass  that  way.  They  cared  for  him  and  left  him  all  the 
provisions  he  needed.    After  regaining  sufficient  strength 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     297 

he  continued  his  efforts  to  find  the  creek,  the  object  of 
his  search,  about  the  location  of  which  he  had  received 
but  meager  information.  He  finally  found  it,  and  claims 
that  it  is  fabulously  rich.  Mr.  Behrens  has  confronted 
the  dangers  and  endured  the  privations  of  an  Alaskan 
prospector  for  six  years,  and  has  at  last  attained  the 
fruition  of  his  hopes.  He  affirms  that  in  the  beginning 
of  the  experience  herein  referred  to  he  weighed  one 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  and  when  he  came  out  of  it 
he  weighed  sixty-six  pounds.  But  few  persons  would 
have  survived  the  perils  through  which  he  passed,  fewer 
still  would  have  continued  the  search  under  such  ad- 
verse circumstances.  In  his  energy,  his  endurance,  and 
his  persistency  is  the  keynote  of  his  success. 
Dr.  Sheldon  Jackson  says : 

The  physical  configuration  of  Alaska  naturally  divides  it 
into  three   districts : 

First — The  Yukon,  extending  from  the  Alaskan  range  of 
mountains  to  the  Arctic  Ocean. 

Second — The  Aleutian,  embracing  the  Alaskan  peninsula 
and  islands  west  of  the  155th  degree  of  longitude;  and 

Third — The  Sitkan,  including  Southeastern  Alaska. 

President  Roosevelt  says: 

I  predict  that  you  and  I  will  see  Alaska,  with  her  enormous 
resources  of  minerals  and  fisheries,  her  possibilities  that  almost 
exceed  belief,  produce  as  hardy  and  vigorous  a  race  as  any 
part  of  America. 

A  writer  of  recent  date  stated  that,  as  he  viewed  the 
future  of  this  Great  Northland,  "it  would,  in  the  coming 
years,  be  one  of  the  great  cattle,  grass,  and  wheat-pro- 
ducing regions  of  the  world  and  is  capable  of  sustaining 
a  population  of  millions." 

Alaska  is  remarkable  for  its  scenic  grandeur.  Here 
the  Aurora  Borealis  makes  a  display  of  celestial  splendor 
unequalcd  in  any  part  of  the  world.     Now  they  flash 


298  The  Conquerors 

out  with  a  brightness  that  illumes  the  darkness  of  the 
Arctic  night.  Great  columns  of  light  shoot  upward, 
downward,  and  across  the  sky.  The  dark  clouds  brought 
to  view  by  the  wavy  undulations  of  light  seem  to  be 
fringed  with  gold.  The  natives  believe  these  displays 
to  be  the  reflections  of  the  lights  used  by  the  spirits  in  the 
great  Northland  beyond.  The  glaciers  of  Alaska  are 
also  one  of  nature's  wonders.  They  are  greater  and 
grander  than  are  those  of  any  other  part  of  the  world. 
They  consist  of  great  gorges  filled  with  ice.  So  immense 
are  these  formations  that  they  seem  to  represent  the  ice 
accumulations  of  the  ages.  The  ]\Iuir  Glacier  is  esti- 
mated to  contain  an  area  of  over  three  hundred  square 
miles. 

Dr.  Sheldon  Jackson  says : 

Thirty-five  miles  above  Wrangel,  on  the  Stickeen  River,  be- 
tween two  mountains,  three  thousand  feet  high,  is  a  glacier 
forty  miles  long  and  at  the  base  from  four  to  five  miles  across, 
and  variously  estimated  to  be  from  five  hundred  to  one  thousand 
feet  high,  or  deep.  Opposite  this  glacier  and  just  across  the 
river  are  large  boiling  springs.  The  Indians  regard  this  glacier 
as  the  personification  of  a  mighty  ice-god,  who  is  invested  with 
power  before  which  all  nature  and  all  the  gods  bow  in  sub- 
mission and  adoration. 

The  mountains  of  Alaska  form  one  of  its  scenic  at- 
tractions. Wherever  you  look  they  rise  in  stately  gran- 
deur toward  the  sky.  They  touch  with  their  base  line 
the  Arctic  Sea,  while  others  cast  their  shadows  upon  the 
waters  of  the  Pacific  thousands  of  miles  to  the  westward. 
There  are  many  indications  of  there  having  been  a  pre- 
historic period  in  Alaska.  The  finding  of  the  bones  of 
animals  long  since  extinct  and  belonging  to  an  age  in 
which  tlie  climatic  conditions  must  have  been  different 
from  what  they  arc  now,  give  evidence  to  the  correctness 
of  this  view. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     299 

The  general  distribution  of  gold  throughout  Alaska, 
with  other  phenomena,  indicates  the  existence  of  an  ice 
or  glacial  age,  when  by  the  action  of  great  masses  of 
moving  ice  the  rocks  were  ground  as  between  an  upper 
and  nether  millstone  and  distributed  over  that  vast  coun- 
try. By  these  processes  the  gold,  the  birthplace  of 
which  is  in  the  rocks,  was  carried  to  its  present  lodging- 
places.  The  resources  of  this  great  Northland  are  won- 
derful for  their  variety  and  extensiveness.  Alaska  is  a 
great  treasure  house  of  v^ealth.  At  the  assay  office  in 
Seattle  from  July  15,  1898,  to  July  15,  1903,  the  aggre- 
gate value  of  gold  from  the  north  that  passed  through 
it  was  $73,364,790,  the  weight  of  which  was  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  tons. 

The  Treadwell  Mines  on  Douglas  Island  have  the 
largest  quartz  mill  in  the  world.  Two  hundred  and  forty 
stamps  run  day  and  night.  The  works  were  erected 
and  equipped  at  a  cost  of  one  million  dollars.  Theirs 
is  a  free  milling,  and  a  low-grade  ore  can  be  milled 
rapidly  and  cheaply.  This  is  the  most  profitable  gold- 
producing  mine  in  the  world.  The  heavy  smoke  from 
the  mill,  surcharged  with  poisonous  substances,  has 
killed  vegetation  for  a  mile  up  and  down  the  island. 

The  gold  product  of  Alaska,  with  that  of  the  British 
Yukon,  is  enormous,  and  yet  it  is  in  the  infancy  of  its 
development.  Indications  point  to  the  existence  of  large 
coal  deposits  in  Alaska.  Throughout  much  of  its  area 
the  country  is  covered  with  forests.  The  cedar,  red, 
white,  and  yellow,  abounds.  Trees  eight  feet  in  diameter 
are  not  an  exception.  Spruce,  hemlock,  and  other  woods 
are  abundant. 

The  fish  industry  is  one  of  the  many  great  sources 
of  Alaska's  wealth.  In  1898  there  were  two  hundred 
and  twenty-five  thousand  cases  of  salmon  put  upon  the 


300  The  Conquerors 

market  from  these  waters,  and  the  product  is  increasing 
in  quantity  every  year.  The  fish  producing  capabilities 
of  the  waters  of  Alaska  are  not  equaled,  much  less  ex- 
celled, in  any  part  of  the  world. 

Until  recently  it  was  supposed  that  Alaska  was  value- 
less in  an  agricultural  sense,  but  recent  experiences  show 
otherwise.     Governor  J.  G.  Brady  says : 

Alaska  will  furnish  vegetables  for  a  teeming  population. 
The  soil  in  many  parts  is  a  vegetable  mold  mixed  with  sand, 
and  is  very  rich.  Cabbages  weighing  twenty-seven  pounds  have 
been  grown  in  the  garden.  Potatoes  do  well.  Strawberries,  cur- 
rants, and  other  berries  abound.  They  grow  wild  in  many  places 
and,  when  cultivated,  produce  enormous  crops.  Timothy  and 
other  grasses  grow  wild  in  some  places  along  the  coast.  The 
Aleutian  Islands  and  the  country  known  as  Southeastern  Alaska 
will,  in  the  coming  years,  be  a  great  vegetable,  grass>  and  dairy 
producing  country. 

Formerly  Alaska  produced  furs  in  large  quantities. 
The  skin  of  the  fur  seal  is  a  valuable  article  of  commerce, 
and  millions  of  dollars  have  been  made  in  the  business. 
What  a  shame  that  England  and  America  should  permit 
the  extermination  of  these  beautiful  fur-bearing  animals! 
Proper  laws  and  regulations  for  the  protection  and  propa- 
gation of  the  fish  and  the  fur-bearing  life  of  Alaska 
should  be  enacted  and  vigorously  enforced,  to  the  end 
that  the  increase  of  their  kind  and  the  benefit  derived 
from  them  be  continued. 

The  native  population  of  Alaska  is  divided  into  many 
tribes.  They  differ  in  a  marked  degree  from  the  Red 
men  of  the  United  States,  having  a  Mongolian  cast  of 
the  face,  and  formation  of  the  eye  resembling  that  of 
the  Chinaman.  They  are  more  intelligent  than  the 
American  Indian  and  possess  good  trade  and  mechanical 
instincts.  Some  of  them  arc  very  skillful  designers  and 
carvers  in  wood,  bone,  and  metal.    They  are  very  super- 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     301 

stitious.  Their  settlement  in  the  Northland  antedated 
the  coming  of  the  Russians  by  many  centuries. 

The  Innuits,  or  Eskimos,  inhabit  the  northern  part  of 
Alaska.  The  Aleuts  live  in  the  islands  of  the  western 
archipelago.  The  Tongas,  Thlinlcts,  Iliadahs,  Chilcats, 
Chilcoots,  and  other  tribes  inhabit  the  southeastern  part 
of  Alaska  and  the  great  valley  of  the  Yukon. 

Sitka  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  Alaska.  It  was 
founded  August  i8,  1804. 

Nome; 

is  a  city  of  modern  construction  and  is  a  marvel  among 
the  mining  cities  of  the  world.  It  was  founded  in  1900 
and  began  its  life  with  the  birth  of  the  century.  It  is 
situated  on  the  shore  line  of  Behring  Sea  and  is  distin- 
guished for  being  nearer  the  North  Pole  than  any  other 
American  city,  also  for  the  large  gold  output  of  that 
region.  It  lies  a  few  miles  outside  of  the  Arctic  circle 
and  is  the  center  of  a  large  trade. 

The  Cosmopolitan  of  February,  1905,  contains  a  very 
interesting  article  entitled  "The  Development  of  Nome," 
contributed  by  Alfred  H.  Dunham,  Chief  Game  Warden 
of  Alaska,  from  which  are  taken  a  few  extracts : 

There  has  grown  up  almost  unheralded  on  the  Seward  Penin- 
sula of  Alaska  a  city  and  a  civilization  destined,  there  can  be 
no  doubt,  to  form  the  eastern  terminus  of  a  tunnel  which  will 
connect  the  railroad  systems  of  the  Eastern  and  Western  Hemi- 
spheres. 

Nome's  rise  in  five  years  from  a  barren  strip  of  beach  front- 
ing a  frozen  marsh  to  a  city  of  twenty-five  thousand  inhabitants, 
with  banks  and  schools,  paved  streets  and  electric  lighted  thor- 
oughfares, telegraph  and  telephone  systems,  and  with  three  sep- 
arate lines  of  railroad  entering  it,  stands  alone  in  city  building. 

All  the  popular  conceptions  of  an  Alaskan  mining  town  arc 
belied  by  Nome. 


302  The  Conquerors 

Not  only  are  such  utilitarian  marks  of  progress  as  the  tele- 
graph and  telephone,  both  local  and  long  distance,  and  bicycles 
everywhere,  but  the  esthetic  side  of  life  is  not  neglected,  and 
lectures,  musical  entertainments,  and  balls  are  as  frequent  as  in 
cities  farther  south. 

Three  daily  newspapers  are  published   in  the  city. 

Twelve  public  schools  are  maintained,  with  sixteen  teachers 
and  a  thousand  pupils. 

The  Alaska  Academy  of  Science  provides  lectures  for  higher 
classes  and  maintains  a  library.  Nome  has  good  hotels,  an 
excellent  theater,  a  high  school,  a  large  greenhouse,  and  many 
fine  stores,  a  well  organized  police  force  and  a  finely  equipped 
fire  department. 

The  most  remarkable  thing  about  Nome  is  the  rapidity  with 
which  it  acquired  the  luxuries  of  civilization. 

The  large  greenhouse  supplies  vegetables  the  year  round. 
The  three  churches  are  the  largest  buildings  in  the  city. 

The  first  winter  in  Nome  was  characterized  by  what  might 
be  called  high  finance;  everybody  tried  to  corner  something. 

The  price  of  coal  under  artificial  stimulus  went  up  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  ton.  Lumber  commanded  five  hun- 
dred dollars  a  thousand  feet.  Castor  oil  could  be  had  at 
fifty  cents  an  ounce.     Eggs  were  fifty  cents  each. 

The  most  successful  corner  was  that  on  milk.  There  was 
only  one  cow  in  the  city.  The  owner  cleared  one  thousand 
dollars  on  milk  and  sold  the  cow  in  the  spring  for  beef,  realizing 
five  hundred  dollars  more. 

The  time  is  not  far  distant  when  Alaska  will  be  a  great 
agricultural  section. 

There  are  not  less  than  one  million  square  miles  now  avail- 
able for  cultivation  and  with  a  climate  not  as  severe  as  that  of 
Manitoba. 

The  country's  canneries  and  fisheries  arc  gaining  a  world- 
wide reputation. 

Alaska  has  the  largest  game  in  tlie  world — if  we  except  the 
elephant — in  its  great  Kadiak  bears,  moos.e,  caribou,  goats,  and 
mountain   sheep. 

Herds  of  caribou,  that  have  taken  two  days  to  pass  a  given 
point,  are  to  be  seen. 

Since  Alaska  was  purchased,  in  1867,  it  has  brought  to  the 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Countr/j     303 

people  of  the  United  States,  from  its  furs,  fisheries,  and  mines, 
ten  billions  of  dollars. 

During  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1904,  the  commerce 
of  Alaska  aggregated  more  than  thirty  millions  of  dollars,  a 
large  amount  of  it  passing  through   Nome. 

More  than  two  and  a  quarter  million  dollars'  worth  of 
manufactures  in  iron  and  steel  were  sent  to  Alaska  from  the 
United  States  during  the  same  period,  and  twenty  million 
pounds  of  tin  plate,  valued  at  a  million  dollars,  and  a  half  mil- 
lion dollars'  worth  of  manufactured  tinware. 

We  give  a  few  excerpts  from  an  article  written  by 
Rev.  John  Parsons,  D.  D.,  Superintendent  of  the  Missions 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Alaska : 

OUR  ARCTIC  EMPIRE. 

Alaska  is  a  big  country.  Its  coast  line  is  equal  to  the  cir- 
cumference of  the  globe  and  7,860  miles  greater  than  the  Atlantic 
seaboard  of  the  United  States.  Its  length  is  more  than  2,000 
miles,  its  breadth  over  1,400  miles,  and  its  area  590,884  square 
miles.  It  is  twice  as  large  as  the  State  of  Texas  and  twelve 
times  as  large  as  the  State  of  New  York.  It  contains  the 
highest  known  mountain  in  North  America,  Mount  McKinley, 
with  an  altitude  of  over  three  miles,  and  its  mighty  river,  the 
Yukon,  is  one  of  the  greatest  waterways  of  the  continent.  It 
is  navigable  from  Norton  Sound,  in  Behring  Sea,  to  Whitehorse, 
in  Yukon  Territory,  a  distance  of  over  2,000  miles. 

The  resources  of  Alaska  are  the  surprise  of  many  and  the 
wonder  of  all.  When  Secretary  Seward  purchased  the  country 
for  the  United  States,  at  a  cost  of  $7,200,000,  people  thought  it 
was  like  "buying  a  pig  in  a  poke,"  and  it  was  supposed  that 
the  chief  products  would  be  icebergs  and  furs.  But  already  the 
annual  value  of  the  fish  products  of  Alaska  is  greater  than  the 
total  price  paid  for  the  territory — and  its  fisheries  are  capable  of 
indefinite  expansion.  The  mining  industry  probably  adds 
$20,000,000  a  year  to  the  world's  wealth.  The  famous  Treadwell 
Mine,  on  Douglas  Island,  is  the  largest  low-grade  concern  of 
its  kind  in  the  world.  It  is  equipped  with  900  stamps  and  yields 
on  an  average  less  than  $3  per  ton  of  ore ;  but  its  annual  gold 
output  is  $1,500,000,  and  it  is  claimed  the  vein  will  not  be  worked 
out  in  a  hundred  years. 


304  The  Conquerors 

It  is  believed,  too,  that  agriculture  is  practicable  in  portions 
of  Alaska,  and  that  the  Aleutian  Islands  are  particularly  adapted 
to  the  raising  of  stock.  Indeed,  it  is  said  that  strawberries  and 
vegetables  are  readily  produced  in  the  Yukon  country  and  the 
Klondike.  In  the  mining  camps  of  the  country  beans  are  called 
"Alaska  strawberries,"  but  if  the  real  article  can  be  produced 
here  that  omnipresent  vegetable  may  lose  its  place  of  honor.  In 
the  very  fact,  however,  in  Southeastern  Alaska  there  is  a  place 
where  the  ripening  berries  redden  the  ground;  it  is  called 
"Strawberry  Point."  And  the  wild  raspberry  and  wild  currant 
of  Alaska  are  said  to  equal  in  size  and  flavor  the  cultivated 
products  of  the  States. 

Senator  Samuel  H.  Piles,  of  the  State  of  Washing- 
ton, in  a  speech  delivered  in  the  United  States  Senate, 
February  3,  1908,  in  behalf  of  the  "Alaska  Yukon  Pacific 
Exposition,"  to  be  held  in  Seattle  in  1909,  said: 

Since  1897  Alaska  has  added  $107,000,000  to  the  gold  wealth 
of  our  country.  ...  It  has  copper — mountains  of  it — tin, 
marble,  gypsum,  lead,  iron,  silver,  and  coal,  not  only  in  veins,  but 
in  extensive  ledges  of  great  depth  and  of  the  finest  quality. 
It  has  great  forests  of  valuable  timber,  and  immense  fields  of 
petroleum. 

The  product  of  the  fisheries  of  Alaska  amounts  annually 
to  from  $7,000,000  to  $10,000,000.  They  have  produced,  since 
their  purchase,  over  $150,000,000. 

I  have  been  told  by  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture  that  there 

are  from  60,000,000  to   100,000,000  acres  of  agricultural   land  in 

Alaska.     .     .     .     The    soil    in    the    valleys    is    exceedingly    rich. 

.     .    .     It  will,  in  the  coming  years,  be  a  great  grass  and  hay 

region. 

A  distinguished  Government  official  informed  me  that  during 
the  month  of  June  he  camped  for  seven  days  10,000  feet  up 
on  the  side  of  Mount  McKinley  and  beheld  a  sight  seldom  wit- 
nessed by  man,  that  of  the  sun  standing  in  full  view  for  seven 
days  and  nights.  That  was.  indeed  a  rare  scene,  but  only  one 
of  the  many  wonders  of  that  great  Northland. 

The  United  States  Government  has  established  schools 
among  the  Indians  in  many  places  in  Alaska.    The  Eski- 


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Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     805 

mos,  whose  homes  skirt  the  ice-bound  seas  of  this  great 
Northland,  show  advancement  in  their  studies  that  is 
highly  commendable  both  to  them  and  to  their  teachers. 

We  give  herewith  a  cut  of  Uncle  Sam's  most  north- 
ern schoolhouse,  the  pupils  of  which  are  Eskimos.  It 
is  located  at  Point  Barrow. 

This  place  is  distinguished  for  being  nearer  the  North 
Pole  than  any  other  point  in  the  postal  system  of  the 
United  States.  The  postmaster's  name  is  Walsh.  In 
one  case  the  mail  from  Point  Barrow  to  Washington, 
D.  C,  was  carried  six  hundred  and  fifty  miles  by  rein- 
deer, one  thousand  six  hundred  and  thirty  miles  by  dogs, 
four  hundred  and  twelve  miles  by  horses,  one  thousand 
miles  by  steamer,  and  three  thousand  two  hundred  and 
twelve  miles  by  railroad.  Aggregate  distance,  six  thou- 
sand nine  hundred  and  four  miles.  Point  Barrow  is 
situated  about  one  thousand  miles  north  of  Nome,  on 
the  desolate  shores  of  the  Arctic  Ocean. 

The  Indians  of  Alaska  are  dying  in  large  numbers 
every  year  as  the  result  of  the  changed  conditions  that 
prevail  since  the  coming  of  the  white  man  into  their 
country.  The  United  States  Government  does  well  to 
establish  schools  among  them  and  safeguard  their  inter- 
ests and  encourage  them  to  adopt  habits  of  industry, 
sobriety,  and  virtue.  Enlightened  Christian  citizenship  is 
the  only  rational  solution  of  the  Alaskan  Indian  question. 
That  this  great  country  will  be  occupied  by  white  people ; 
that  its  vast  resources  will  be  developed  and  utilized  for 
the  benefit  of  mankind,  is   inevitable. 

It  is  a  sad  fact,  however,  that  with  the  good  things 
that  accompany  our  civilization  there  are  some  bad  things, 
and  the  Indians  are  inclined  to  adopt  our  vices  rather 
than  our  virtues. 

Missionary  work  was  begun  in  Alaska  more  than  a 
20 


306  The  Conquerors 

century  ago.  On  the  30th  of  June,  1793,  the  Empress 
Catharine  of  Russia  issued  an  imperial  order  requiring 
that  missionaries  be  sent  to  her  American  colony.  In 
keeping  with  this  edict  the  missions  of  the  Greek  Church 
were  established  in  Russian  America  (now  Alaska). 

The  churches  they  erected,  the  schools  they  founded, 
the  influences  they  exerted,  were  no  doubt  helpful,  but 
their  teachings  were  wanting  in  incentives  to  the  highest 
and  best  attainments  in  industrial,  intellectual,  social, 
and  spiritual  life. 

The  initial  work  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  Alaska  was  that  entered  upon  by  John  H.  Carr  and 
wife  under  the  auspices  of  the  Woman's  Home  Mission- 
ary Society.  In  1886  they  went  to  Unga  Island  and 
labored  among  the  Indians.     Sister  Carr  died  there. 

Rev.  C.  J.  Larson  was  appointed  by  Bishop  McCabe 
to  the  superintendency  of  the  Alaska  Mission  in  1897. 
He  erected  a  church  at  Dyea ;  it  was  the  first  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  built  in  Alaska. 

In  1898  our  work  was  begun  in  Skagway  by  Rev. 
W.  H.  Leach. 

In  October,  1898,  Rev.  J.  J.  Walter  was  appointed  to 
the  superintendency  of  our  missions  in  Alaska.  Under 
his  supervision  a  building  was  erected  in  Skagway  of 
native  granite,  the  cost  of  which  was  $10,000.  It  was 
intended  to  be  used  for  church  and  school  purposes.  A 
short  time  thereafter  it  was  sold  to  the  Government  of 
the  United  States  for  $8,000. 

A  church  was  erected  here  in  1901.  It  was  dedicated 
r^ccembcr  15th  of  that  year  by  Rev.  W.  H.  Sellcck,  super- 
intendent of  the  Alaska  Mission,  assisted  by  the  pastor, 
Rev.  M.  A.  Covington. 

Rev.  Wilmot  Whitfield,  D.  D.,  was  superintendent  of 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Country     307 

our  work-  in  Alaska  in  1902,  and  Rev.  John  Parsons, 
D.  D.,  was  appointed  to  this  position  in  1903. 

A  church  was  erected  at  Juneau  under  the  leadership 
of  the  pastor,  Rev.  F.  A.  LaViolette,  in  1904. 

Great  faith  and  effort  were  necessary  to  secure  its 
erection,  but  the  energy  of  the  pastor  was  equal  to  the 
demands  of  the  case. 

The  estimated  value  of  the  property  is  $12,000.  It 
was  at  the  time  of  its  dedication  the  finest  church  in 
Alaska. 

Bishop  J.  W.  Hamilton  took  special  interest  in  its 
erection,  and  contributed  $500  to  the  building  fund. 

It  was  dedicated  December  18,  1904,  by  Rev.  John 
Parsons,  D.  D.,  and  Rev.  F.  A.  La  Violette. 

The  first  Annual  Aleeting  of  the  Alaska  Mission  was 
held  at  Juneau,  July  16,  1904,  in  the  Odd  Fellows'  Hall. 
Bishop  J.  W.  Hamilton  presided  and  F.  A.  La  Violette 
was  elected  Secretary. 

The  second  Annual  Meeting  (and  the  last  at  the  date 
of  this  writing)  was  held  at  Ketchikan,  June  29,  1905. 
Bishop  D.  H.  Moore  presided.  Rev.  A.  B.  Leonard, 
D.  D.,  Senior  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Missionary 
Society,  and  Rev.  W.  S.  Harrington,  D.  D.,  Presiding 
Elder  of  the  Seattle  District,  Puget  Sound  Conference, 
were  present.  The  object  of  Dr.  Leonard's  visit  was  to 
ascertain  the  needs  of  our  work  in  that  part  of  the 
country. 

The  Minutes  of  1905  contain  a  list  of  the  appoint- 
ments of  that  year,  as  follows : 

Dolomi — to  be  supplied. 
Douglass  City — J.  C.  Evans. 
Fairbanks — John  Parsons. 
Juneau — F.  A.  La  Violette. 


308  The  Conquerors 

Ketchikan — J.  A.  Chapman. 

Nome — to  be  supplied. 

Seward — L.  H.   Pederson. 

Skagway — ^J.  Wesley  Glenk. 

Unalaska — Woman's    Home    Missionary    Society. 

Since  the  last  Annual  Meeting  a  church  has  been 
erected  in  Nome  under  the  leadership  of  the  pastor, 
Rev.  R.  V.  B.  Dunlap. 

Rev.  John  Parsons,  D.  D.,  Superintendent  of  the 
Alaska  Mission,  is  pastor  of  the  congregation  at  Fair- 
banks, where  a  church  has  recently  been  erected. 

Finis. 

The  work  of  Jason  Lee  was  not  only  the  constructive 
and  the  determining  force  that  secured  the  American 
ownership  of  Oregon,  but  it  was  the  key  to  the  purchase 
of  Alaska  by  the  United  States  and  the  development  of 
the  enormous  and  varied  resources  of  that  great  North- 
land. 

In  the  light  of  the  facts  of  history  and  the  unfolding 
events  that  had  their  birth  in  the  American  settlement 
he  established  in  Oregon,  and  the  American  sentiment  he 
created  in  behalf  of  American  supremacy  on  the  Pacific 
coast,  how  significant  his  utterances  and  written  state- 
ments, previously  given  in  this  book,  as  the  following 
references  will  indicate ! 

"Rely  upon  it,  Oregon  has  in  it  the  germ  of  a  great 
State,"  was  his  statement  in  reply  to  a  letter  he  had 
received  from  an  officer  of  the  Government  in  1839. 
And  again,  in  1840,  he  wrote  to  the  Missionary  Society: 
"O,  what  a  field  is  open  to  the  Church  all  along  the 
coast  of  this  vast  Pacific,  from  Cape  Horn  to  the  North 
Pole!" 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Countnj     309 

Equally  significant  and  prophetic  were  the  words  of 
Dr.  John  P.  Richmond,  when,  in  his  Fourth  of  July  ad- 
dress at  Nisqually,  in   1841,  he  said: 

The  future  years  will  witness  wonderful  things  in  the  settle- 
ment and  development  of  the  United  States,  and  especially  of 
this  coast.  This  growth  may  embrace  the  advance  of  our  do- 
minion to  the  frozen  regions  of  the  north,  and  south  to  the 
narrow  strip  of  land  that  separates  us  from  the  lower  half  of 
the  American  continent. 

The  thought   and  work   of  Jason   Lee 
Was  the  prophecy  and  the  pledge. 
The  prelude  and  the  entering  wedge, 
To    the    things    that    have   been    wrought 
And  the  success  the  years  have  brought 
To  American  life  and  trade 
On  the   Pacific  coast. 
The  many  facts  herein  recorded 
Show   that  to   Lee   should   be   awarded 
"The  Conqueror's"  palm  in  Oregon. 


APPENDIX 

Important  Statements 

Hon.  C.  B.  Bagley,  who  was  educated  at  the  Oregon 
Institute,  and  for  many  years  was  a  prominent  journaHst 
on  this  coast,  and  now  an  officer  in  the  city  government 
of  Seattle,  has  made  an  extensive  study  of  the  Oregon 
question  and  has  a  large  amount  of  historic  data  touch- 
ing this  subject.    He  says: 

Replying  to  your  inquiries,  permit  me  to  say,  briefly,  the 
early  missionaries  were  the  pioneers  of  American  civilization  in 
the  Northwest,  or  "Old  Oregon."  In  all  human  probability  but 
for  them  Canada  would  to-day  reach  to  the  California  line.  In 
this  work  the  Methodist  missionaries  took  the  leading  part. 

Drs.  Whitman,  Eells,  Spalding,  and  Walker  were  zealous 
missionaries,  and  their  labors  among  the  Indians  were  full  of 
heroism  and  Christian  sacrifice,  but  they  founded  no  communities. 

Jason  and  Daniel  Lee,  David  Leslie,  Gustavus  Hincs,  and 
their  fellow  workers  set  the  wheels  of  organized  government  in 
motion.  The  farms  they  first  began  to  till,  seventy  years  ago, 
have  undergone  the  annual  seeding  and  harvesting  to  this  day; 
the  mill-race  those  men  dug,  more  than  sixty  years  ago,  carries 
waters  from  the  same  stream,  and,  save  the  change  from  the  old- 
time  wooden  "overshot"  wheel  to  the  modern  turbine,  there 
has  been  no  cessation  of  the  roar  of  the  waters  and  the  hum 
of  the  machinery.  Saw-mills,  grist  mills,  woolen  factories,  and 
a  dozen  other  industries,  all  center  around  the  site  where  the 
first  rude  appliances  served  to  drown  the  cry  of  the  wild  Indian. 

The  Methodist  missionaries  built  the  first  churches,  and  in 
them  civilized  congregations  continued  to  worship  until  the  old 
buildings  had  to  be  replaced  by  others  more  modern  and  more 

310 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Countrij     311 

commodious.  The  missionaries  built  the  first  schoolhouses  de- 
voted to  the  instruction  of  white  men's  children.  Methodist 
missionaries  taught  the  first  schools  west  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. 

They  established  permanent  settlements  all  over  the  Willa- 
mette Valley,  which  became  the  rallying  points  around  which  the 
emigrants  of  1842-45  gathered,  and  there  made  themselves  homes 
that  remain  to  this  day. 

Marcus  Whitman  died  a  martyr,  but  that  his  labors  had 
any  material  influence  upon  the  American  settlement  and  civiliza- 
tion of  Oregon  I  deny.  If  any  individual  deserves  to  be  canon- 
ized for  his  grand  work  in  "Old  Oregon,"  it  should  be  Jason  Lee. 

It  is  one  of  my  ambitions  to  prepare  an  article  on  this 
subject  for  publication,  but  a  pressure  of  work,  public  and 
private,  has  thus  far  kept  me  from  doing  so. 

Very  sincerely  yours,  C.  B.  BaglEy. 

Rev.  A.  J.  Joslyn,  of  the  Puget  Sound  Conference, 
has  had  a  longer  and  a  more  extensive  acquaintance 
throughout  the  entire  region  formerly  known  as  the  Old 
Oregon  Country  than  any  other  minister  now  living. 
His  knowledge  of  the  facts  embraced  in  the  early  settle- 
ment of  Oregon  and  his  interest  in  this  important  sub- 
ject give  special  significance  to  his  statements.     He  says: 

Having  settled  with  my  parents  in  the  Old  Oregon  Country 
more  than  a  half  century  ago,  and  at  a  time  when  the  whole 
Pacific  Northwest  was  embraced  in  the  Oregon  Territory,  and 
continuously  living  therein  ever  since ;  spending  thirty-four  years 
and  more  of  that  time  consecutively  in  the  active  ministry  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  the  Oregon,  Columbia  River, 
Idaho,  and  Puget  Sound  Annual  Conferences  respectively  upon 
charges  and  in  district  work  as  Presiding  Elder,  and  having 
been  personally  acquainted  with  nearly  every  member  of  the 
early  pioneers  of  the  North  Pacific  Coast  Methodism,  and  pastor 
for  two  happy  years  of  the  only  living  child  of  the  Rev.  Jason 
Lee — Mrs.  Lucy  Lee  Grubbs — and  having  had  a  wide  and  in- 
timate acquaintance  with  the  whole  Church  of  the  Pacific  North- 
west, more  than  any  other  minister  of  the  gospel,  living  or  dead, 
with  the  single  exception  of  that  of  my  life-long  and  most  inti- 


312  The  Conquerors 

mate  friend,  the  late  Rev.  Harvey  Kimball  Hines,  D.  D. ;  and 
having  also  discussed  the  question  from  the  public  platform  and 
in  the  private  walks  of  life  with  men  of  every  theory  as  to  the 
claims  made  for  founding  American  civilization  in  and  Ameri- 
can ownership  of  this  vast  domain, — I  trust  it  may  not  seem 
out  of  place  for  me  to  say  that  I  ought  to  know  something 
about  the  question  discussed  and  the  facts  related  in  this  very 
interesting,  trustworthy,  and  timely  volume  of  the  Rev.  Albert 
Atwood  on  this  great  American  conflict. 

I  am  quite  sure  that  the  facts  as  herein  set  forth  will  in 
all  righteousness  settle  forever  the  hitherto  mooted  and  much 
vexed  question  as  to  who  were  the  real  and  most  prominent 
factors  in  the  civilization  and  American  ownership  of  the  Pacific 
Northwest  and,  as  a  result  thereof,  the  American  ownership  of 
the  entire  Pacific  coast  and  ultimately  the  American  possession 
of  the  islands  of  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

The  truth  will  have  been  recognized  and  vindicated,  and 
Methodism  honored  and  served,  in  this  equitable  setting  of 
masterful  and  irrefutable  facts.  Hence  this  volume  supplies  a 
long-felt  need  and  will  be  hailed  by  thousands  as  a  satisfactory 
finale  to  a  long-disputed  question  and  a  juster  appreciation  of 
one  of  the  most  important  events  in  American  history. 

Sincerely,  A.  J.  Joslyn. 

Rev.  John  Parsons,  D.  D.,  of  the  Oregon  Conference, 
says: 

The  story  of  the  Oregon  mission  is  equal  to  a  romance. 
As  a  life  picture  it  is  pathetic  and  heroic.  The  Indians  begging 
for  the  white  man's  Book  and  the  white  man's  God,  and  the 
four  men  leaving  their  home  and  their  kindred,  is  a  sight  never 
to  be  forgotten.  To  the  Church  it  was  an  inspiration  and  to 
mankind  a  blessing.  It  was  a  weird  and  pathetic  tale,  which 
seized  the  imagination  and  fired  the  heart  of  the  Church. 
St.  Paul's  vision  at  Troas,  on  the  west  coast  of  Asia,  seemed 
paralleled  in  the  quest  of  the  Flathead  Indians  in  Oregon. 

Disappointment  and  death  overtook  the  poor  Indians,  but 
their  cry  was  not  in  vain.  The  papers  printed  it,  and  from 
pulpit  and  platform  it  was  sounded  out,  until  the  quickened  senti- 
ment of  the  Churches  crystallized  in  the  missions  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  and  of  the  American  Board. 


Settlement  of  the  Oi-egon  Country     813 

The  overland  trip  to  Oregon  in  those  days  was  a  formidable 
undertaking,  equal  to  that  of  Stanley  across  the  Dark  Continent. 
But  Christian  heroism  and  business  adventure  were  equal  to 
the  task.  Rev.  Jason  Lee  and  Daniel  Lee,  and  Cyrus  Shephard 
and  P.  D.  Edwards,  two  laymen,  mounted  their  horses  and  fol- 
lowed the  Oregon  trail.  Their  coming  was  a  great  event;  one 
writer  called  it  "The  Oregon  Sunrise."  It  was  the  dawn  of 
a  new  day. 

The  most  romantic  and  interesting  figure  of  this  number 
was  Jason  Lee.  To  him  it  was  given  to  plant  a  mission,  to 
establish  a  Church,  to  found  a  college,  to  bring  the  largest  mis- 
sionary party  to  Oregon  that  ever  left  an  American  port,  and 
to  lay  the  foundations  of  State  and  civilization  in  Oregon. 

He  climbed  mountains;  he  forded  streams;  he  trailed  forests, 
and  counted  no  sacrifice  too  great  to  make  known  the  glad 
tidings  of  the  grace  of  God.  By  faith  and  consecration  Jason 
Lee  ascended  to  his  coronation.  He  lives  in  the  world's  life  be- 
cause he  renounced  his  own.  John  Parsons. 

Rev.  Joseph  E.  Williams,  D.  D.,  president  of  the 
University  of  Puget  Sound,  and  formerly  a  Presiding 
Elder  in  the  Puget  Sound  Conference,  says : 

The  "Oregon  Country"  holds  a  unique  position  among  the 
various  sections  of  our  Union.  Its  occupancy  marks  a  distinct 
epoch  in  the  territorial  acquisition  of  the  United  States.  It  is 
the  only  section  which  has  never  been  under  the  domination  of  a 
foreign  power,  the  only  one  whose  acquisition  did  not  require 
the  expenditure  of  either  money  or  blood. 

Here  upon  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  lay  unclaimed  the  foun- 
dations of  a  great  empire  for  generations  after  the  colonies  were 
planted  upon  our  Atlantic  coast.  When,  at  last,  the  vision  of 
its  beauty  and  richness  appeared  to  civilized  man,  two  nations, 
England  and  the  United  States,  were  deeply  and  almost  iden- 
tically interested  in  its  possession. 

Their  contest  for  supremacy  was  one  of  peculiar  interest, 
chiefly  because  it  was  diplomatic  rather  than  military.  It  en- 
gaged the  most  conspicuous  talent  of  the  two  great  nations. 
Its  results,  while  not  satisfactory  at  the  time,  brought  untold 
advantage  to  the  United  States.  A  new  gateway  to  the  larger 
commerce  of  the  Orient  was  opened;  a  place  of  habitation  for 


314  Tlie  Conquerors 

millions  of  happy  and  prosperous  people  was  acquired ;  the 
foundations  for  the  present  vast  industrial  and  commercial  prod- 
ucts of  the  Northwest  were  laid,  and  unrivaled  natural  defenses 
for  the  Nation  secured.  Nor  did  England  fare  poorly,  as  the 
prosperous  province  lying  north  of  us  bears  ample  testimony. 

The  purpose  of  this  book  is  to  show  how  the  pioneers  con- 
tributed to  this  far-reaching  result;  to  show  that  the  processes 
of  occupancy  combined  with  diplomacy  to  secure  the  supremacy 
of  the  United  States  in  the  contested  territory;  to  show  that 
the  early  home-makers  were  the  real  arbiters  of  destiny;  to 
show  that  chief  among  these  home-makers  were  the  Protestant 
missionaries,  and,  finally,  to  show  that  among  these  misisionaries 
there  was  one,  Jason  Lee,  who,  because  of  the  transcendent 
greatness  of  his  work,  must  forever  occupy  the  foremost  place. 

He  was  the  Asbury  of  the  Northwest.  A  statesman  by 
instinct,  he  laid  himself  freely  upon  the  altar  of  neglected  and 
despised  humanity.  Loving  the  seclusion  of  a  scholar's  life,  he 
nevertheless  selected  as  the  scene  of  his  life-work  the  trackless 
forest,  and  for  its  fellowship  the  untutored  savage.  Possessed 
of  splendid  financial  ability,  he  condemned  himself  to  perpetual 
poverty,  that  others  might  be  made  rich.  Nowhere  in  all  the 
annals  of  our  territorial  development  does  a  grander  character 
arise  than  that  of  Jason  Lee,  nor  one  whose  labors  have  pro- 
duced richer  fruitage. 

Along  the  trails  he  traversed,  schools  and  colleges,  chapels 
and  churches,  towns  and  cities,  mills  and  warehouses,  with  all 
that  marks  the  presence  of  a  large  and  prosperous  population, 
have  arisen. 

Only  a  short  time  ago,  after  years  of  slumber  in  an  Eastern 
graveyard,  were  his  bones  laid  to  rest  near  the  site  of  his.  be- 
loved mission  in  Oregon.  Many  words  appreciative  of  his 
character  and  work  were  then  spoken ;  but  they  were  as  the 
beginning  of  a  stream  of  praise.  Future  generations  will  furnish 
multitudes  to  stand  beside  that  last  rcsling-place  with  naked 
brows  and  reverent  hearts  thanking  God  for  his  noble  service. 

As  he  becomes  thus  conspicuous,  and  his  contemporaries  are 
thus  exalted  to  their  true  place  in  history,  the  relation  of  the 
Church  to  National  life  will  become  more  clearly  visible.  From 
the  landing  of  our  Pilgrim  Fathers  upon  our  Eastern  shore  the 
voice  of  prayer  and  psalm  of  praise  have  mingled  with  the 
movements  of  the  pioneers  in  their  swift  progress  Westward. 


Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Countrij     315 

Thus  has  the  idea  of  religion  permeated  to  a  greater  or  less 
extent  every  municipality  of  our  Union.  Not  only  so,  but  in 
many  instances  the  spirit  of  missions  has  been  the  pioneer. 
It  has  urged  men  into  new  fields  of  endeavor.  It  has  seized 
with  a  mighty  grip  the  purest  and  the  best  men  and  women 
and  taken  them  out  of  their  old  environments,  and  by  the  power 
of  its  holy  instincts  has  led  them  where  they  touched  lines  of 
influence  which  continue  to  increase  forever,  and  where  they 
have  been  privileged  to  lay  foundations  upon  which  eternal 
things  are  to  be  builded.  Such  seems  to  have  been  the  case 
with  Jason  Lee  and  his  associates :  in  claiming  this  vast  region 
for  God  they  made  it  truly  American. 

The  contribution  which  Dr.  Atwood  is  making  to  the  lit- 
erature of  this  portion  of  our  territorial  development  is  both  op- 
portune and  welcome.  Himself  a  pioneer,  he  is  qualified  to 
speak.  An  American,  he  speaks  as  such.  A  churchman,  he  deals 
with  these  questions  from  the  standpoint  of  the  Church.  But 
he  touches  both  National  and  ecclesiastical  questions  in  such 
happy  and  straightforward  manner  tliat  even  those  who  differ 
from  him  regarding  cither,  will  find  both  interest  and  profit  in  his 
presentation  of  the  subject. 

It  is  probably  too  soon  to  write  a  complete  and  impartial 
history  of  the  occupancy  and  growth  of  the  Northwest.  There 
remain  some  questions  about  which  good  men  differ.  Perhaps 
sensitiveness  as  to  who  shall  be  made  pre-eminent  is  too  keen. 
The  pioneers  were  of  different  types  and  different  faiths.  There 
were  noble  men  in  every  type  and  in  every  faith.  Lee,  Whitman ! 
names  worthy  to  be  written  in  the  chronicles  of  Church  or 
State.  Theirs  was  not  a  fight  against  each  other,  but  against 
the  enemies  of  their  common  faith  and  their  common  flag.  If 
by  reason  of  geographic  location  or  other  circumstance  the 
one  was  enabled  to  serve  his  country  in  a  way  denied  the  other, 
such  fact  detracts  no  whit  from  the  zeal,  courage,  and  faith 
of  the  other.  Nor  should  a  word  be  said  in  disparagement  of 
those  others,  the  associates  of  Lee  and  Whitman  in  their  life 
purposes  and  labors.  The  earth  has  never  been  blessed  with 
a  more  truly  consecrated  body  of  men  and  women.  Nor  should 
we  think  alone  of  those  who  sought  God's  service  here.  There 
were  others,  a  noble  company,  not  missionaries,  who  loved  their 
country  quite  as  well  and  heroically  wrought  her  future  good. 
Upon  their  brows  let  well  earned  laurels  rest. 


316  Tlie  Conquerors 

To  the  future  historian  will  be  given  the  task  of  weaving 
all  the  threads  of  individual  life  into  one  harmonious  fabric, 
which  s-hall  stand  as  a  colossal  monument  to  Ihe  real  worth  of 
our  heroic  pioneers. 

Meantime  we  welcome  light  from  all  sources. 

J.  E.  Williams. 

Washington  State  Historicai^  Society, 
Office,  303  City  Hai^l,  Tacoma,  Wash. 

March  18,  1898. 
We,  as  promoters  and  supporters  of  pioneer  historj-  of  the 
Northwest,  "The  Old  Oregon  Country,"  have  read  with  pleasure 
the  interesting  manuscript  written  and  compiled  by  Rev.  A. 
Atwood  for  his  book  "The  Conquerors,"  now  ready  for  publi- 
cation. We  find  the  facts  therein  to  the  best  of  our  knowledge 
correct.  The  Society  has  in  this  case  and  would  in  the  future 
lend  encouragement  in  work  of  this  character.  We  hope  to 
have  the  pleasure  of  reviewing  other  historical  works  on  this 
Northwest  country. 

R.    L.    McCoRMiCK,    President. 

W.    H.    Gilstrap,    Secretary. 


This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below 


dUN  ^     ^^^ 


7       '• 


DEC  1'?  1963 


HEC. 

LO- 


A 


m  2^  ^*'° 


i/£D 

URL 


136f 


Form  L-9-15m-7,'32 


AA    000  526  434 


TJFORNIA 


